Christmas with the Wrights
by Yanmegaman
Summary: It's a Wright family Christmas! As the Wright Anything group are preparing for the holiday, Phoenix's past catches up to him in the form of an invitation e-mail from... His dad? As the Wrights and Maya prepare to visit Mama and Papa Wright, a certain fop is blindsided by an invitation from a certain fraulein.
1. Invitation

**A/N: With Thanksgiving now passed, I believe I finally have the excuse I need to post this. I'm aware that I'm still in the middle of writing Ace Mommy, but I don't wanna fall behind in working on a Christmas story. This is, after all, my favorite time of the year. How can it not be? There's snow, hot chocolate, sweets, Christmas, and, most importantly, my birthday! Funny story about my birthday, actually: It coincides with the DL-6 incident. Oh, and I share it with my mother. So that's a thing. Hell, a few of my irl friends have taken to wishing me a happy DL-6. Ah, true friends.**

 **Anywhore, let the merriment commence! I have 3 chapters in reserve for this story so far, and I'll post them as I feel like.**

* * *

December 19  
1:36 PM  
Wright Anything Agency

"Alright, ten bucks says I can get a ringer." Athena said to the Spirit Medium next to her.

"Oh, you are so on!" Maya cried, holding her hand out to the young lawyer. Athena grinned and took hold of her hand, shaking it firmly.

Athena drew back her arm, much like she would if she were throwing a Frisbee. She then launched her arm forward, sending the wreath spinning straight at her slumbering boyfriend.

"Ow!" Apollo cried as the wreath planted itself firmly around his neck.

"Yes! That'll be ten bucks, Maya!"

Maya groaned. "I call hacks." She said, reaching into her costume and handing the girl a ten dollar bill.

Athena excitedly snatched up the cash. "You say hacks, I say skill."

Apollo then suddenly grabbed the wreath and tossed it back at Athena, who dodged it expertly. She then heard a loud, "Ow!" from behind her. Apollo went wide-eyed as Athena and Maya turned to see who had been hit. It was none other than Phoenix Wright, his face now framed by the green holiday decoration.

"M-Mr. Wright!" Apollo cried, rushing over to his boss. He pulled the wreath from his face, but was still the focus of Phoenix's death glare. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Wright. I-it's just… Athena… And the wreath… and-"

Phoenix cut in. "I'm not sure whether to be angrier that you were throwing things around the office, or that you were napping after I put you on toilet duty."

Apollo's horns drooped as he slumped forward. "S-sorry, Mr. Wright. I'll get right on it." He then trudged over to the supply closet and collected the cleaning supplies before heading to the war zone, aka: the bathroom.

Maya and Athena were snickering. Phoenix shot them a glare. "And aren't you two on decorating duty?"

"Nick, we ARE decorating!" Maya protested.

"Giving Apollo a necklace doesn't count."

"Ugh, Nick, do you live with a stick up your butt 24/7?"

"No," Phoenix said, removing his scarf and hanging it up. "Only for about three days out of the week."

Maya stuck her tongue out at the man. "Why do you even have us decorating this late in the month?"

Phoenix sat down at his desk and opened his e-mail. "Because you and Athena wouldn't stop pestering me to decorate, so I finally gave in."

"Yeah, a week before Christmas!" Athena cried. "We're closed after the 22nd, right? So what's the point."

Phoenix shrugged, still scrolling through his e-mails. "You guys wanted to decorate, so you find a point behind it."

Athena groaned and looked at Maya. "Maya, you're dating the Grinch!"

"I'd consider him more of a Scrooge, really. Only without the money,"

Phoenix shot a glare at the two women. "Would you two at least put up the tree?"

"But it's already up, Nick." Maya said, pointing at something.

Phoenix followed her pointer finger to see Charley, a single ornament hanging from his leaves and a Santa hat completing the look.

Phoenix sighed. "Oh, Charley, please forgive me."

"Hey, unlike you, Charley has some holiday spirit, boss!"

"Hey, I have plenty of Holiday cheer, I'll have you know!"

"And by 'Holiday cheer' do you happen to mean the several bottles of festive grape juice in the fridge?" Maya asked.

Phoenix sweat-dropped. "Why do you torture me so, Maya?"

Athena and Maya burst into laughter and continued to go about their business, hanging up tinsel and other festive decorations.

Meanwhile, Phoenix continued to browse his e-mail, when one letter in particular caught his attention. It was from his father, Hugh Randall Wright.

His curiosity piqued, having not heard from his parents for several months, he opened the letter.

Phoenix,

How are you, son? Feels like your mother and I haven't heard from you in a year! Anyway, I haven't been able to reach you by phone for some time, so I finally got the neighbor boy to help me send this e-mail. Good, kid, that one. Anyway, I'll cut right to the chase. We want you to come home for Christmas. I know you usually spend the holidays with that Psychic girl up in the mountains, but since you two are living together now, we were hoping to finally meet the young lady. Plus, it's been quite a while since we got to see our little Trucy. Please get back in touch with us, son. We miss you.

Sincerely, Hugh R. Wright

Phoenix stared dumbfounded at the screen. He couldn't believe this. Not only did it shock him that his father not only owned, and had learned (somewhat) to use, a computer. But he also couldn't believe that his parents, whom he spoke to maybe twice a year, were asking him to come over for Christmas.

He hadn't actually visited his parents since about two weeks before he'd gotten his badge back. When he'd told them he was going to retake the bar, they'd reacted much the same as he expected.

"Oh, well, that's nice dear." His mother had said, her face registering hardly any emotion.

His father simply stared at him with a death glare. The same look he gave him every time he mentioned lawyers or anything about the courts.

It never surprised Phoenix when his father gave him that look. After all…

A defense attorney had nearly killed the man.

* * *

December 19  
2:12 PM  
High Prosecutor's Office

Klavier Gavin sat at his desk, his feet propped up on the desk and a guitar in his hands. He was trying to make his hands move, to play something, anything, but the music didn't come. It had been like this for some time. Ever since April of two years ago, he'd found that the music didn't flow as smoothly from his fingers as it used to. He'd managed to keep up appearances, of course. How could he not? He was Klavier Gavin, the rock star prosecutor. But his heart felt heavy.

He plucked a few strings absentmindedly. He sighed. "Ach, why do I get like this around the holidays?" He said to no one in particular. Unless one were to count the acoustic guitar he held.

Realizing he wouldn't be getting anything done musically, he placed the guitar back in its case redirected his attention to the next best thing; work.

He pored over the various files of his last few trials, all of which he had won. He was so invested in his reading, he just barely heard the knock at his door.

"It's open." He said, not removing his eyes from the file in front of him.

The door creaked open to reveal Ema Skye, who strode up to his desk and laid a manila envelope in front of the prosecutor.

"Here's that file you wanted, fop." She said, hoping to get a rise out of him.

He didn't even look at her. He simply said, "Danke, Detective."

Disappointed, Ema huffed and left the office, closing the door behind her.

Outside the office, Ema sighed and leaned against the wall. Man, it's no fun making on him when he doesn't even register that he's being mocked. Doesn't help that he always gets like this around Christmas.

"Fraulein, could you come back in for a moment?" Klavier called from the inside.

Ema turned around and re-entered the office. "Yeah, what is it, fop?"

Again, Klavier shrugged off her taunt. "This file, it says that the victim's cause of death was strangulation. Was this with someone's bare hands, or was some sort of weapon used?"

Ema thought over the investigation. "The coroner thinks the murderer used some sort of wire. Did that not include that detail?"

"Nein. Danke fraulein, I will speak with the coroner and get this straightened out."

"That all ya needed."

"Ja, you may go, detective." He then quickly returned to his work, browsing the files on his desk. Ema simply stood there, staring at the German man. Klavier took notice of this and looked back at the woman. "Is something wrong, fraulein?"

"I dunno, fop. Tell me, IS something wrong?"

"I-I'm not sure I understand."

"Well let me spell it out for ya." Ema said, walking towards the man's desk and slamming her hands down on it. "You act like this every year around Christmas. At first, it was refreshing. Not having to put up with as much of your foppishness for the last few weeks of the year. But now, two years after we started working together, it's bugging the crap out of me. What the hell is your deal? Your heart two sizes too small?"

Klavier was taken aback by this. "F-fraulein…" He cast his gaze downward. "It is… a personal matter."

"Ugh! I try to have a serious talk with you and you brush it aside. Typical. Fine, keep living with the humbug up your butt!" Ema then turned to storm off. As she reached for the doorknob, Klavier spoke up.

"It is my family, fraulein."

"Huh?" Ema turned back to look at the blonde haired prosecutor, who had an out of character serious look on his face.

"My family. That's why I act differently around the holidays."

"Your family, huh? What about them?" Ema asked as she stepped into the center of the room.

"Well, you are well aware of mein bruder, ja?"

"Krazy Kristoph? Yeah. Everyone in the legal world knows about him." Ema said.

"Then it should come as no surprise that I have not been to see him for some time, given his actions. What may surprise you, however, is that I have also not heard from the rest of mein familie for quite some time."

Ema was shocked. The fop's family doesn't talk to him? Not even long lost uncles looking for handouts from the kid that made it big. "Why would your family not talk to you?"

Klavier sighed. "Well, meine eltern, that is, parents, they seem to see me as a traitor for my hand in Kristoph's imprisonment. And so they wish to have nothing to do with me."

"Wait, your parents side with your psychotic brother? What the hell!?"

"Ja. Und as you can imagine, practically being disowned by them tends to hit fairly hard around Christmas time. Throw in the shaky break up of my band, and you can understand why I am not the most cheerful person at this time of year, ja?"

Ema hadn't expected to actually open up. Let alone go into the details of his family life. "So, you weren't always like this around Christmas? More of a recent thing?"

"Ja." Klavier said as he began to turn his attention back to his work. "I have few reasons to celebrate, fraulein. So I suppose I become, how you say, a Scrooge."

"Well, I'd say more of a Grinch, but that's beside the point."

"Now," Klavier said as he clacked away on his keyboard. "Will that be all, detective?"

Ema racked her brain for a moment before sighing and rolling her eyes as she looked at the ceiling. "Can't believe I'm about to say this."

"Did you say something, fraulein?" Klavier asked.

Ema sighed again. "Look, now that you've told me that you don't really celebrate Christmas anymore, I'd feel like a Grinch myself if I didn't ask. My sister's gonna be out of town for Christmas with her fiancé, so I won't have anyone to celebrate with. You wanna come to my place Christmas Eve? I hate celebrating alone."

Klavier had to shake his head and pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "I-I'm sorry, Fraulein, I must have misheard. It sounded like you were inviting me to your house for Christmas dinner."

"First of all, it's an apartment. Second, I did. I may treat you like I hate your guts, but your not my least favorite person. Now do you wanna come over or not?"

Klavier was stunned. Fraulein detective was willingly inviting him to her apartment? Had he stepped into an alternate world.

"I… I would… I would love to, Fraulein."

"Alright, cool. I'll let you know what time later." She then turned and left the office, leaving Klavier with his thoughts.

Mein got. What the hell just happened?


	2. Enlisting Help

**A/N: In this chapter, I finally get to write a character I've only had the chance to write in my drabbles. And BOY am I gonna have some fun with it! Glad to see I have alot of the usual suspects following this story. You guys are all awesome!**

 **Quick shoutout for the review last chapter:**

 **Skillet28561: Well, they ARE German. And if we've learned anything from this series, it's that most Germans are pretty much horrible people. Franzy and Klavier notwithstanding.**

 **Disclaimer: I know that not all German folks are horrible. In this context, I'm only talking about the German people in the AA universe. Germany is a beautiful country with an awesome history that I would in fact love to visit someday**

* * *

December 19  
4:54 PM  
Wright Anything Agency

"Alright, almost closing time!" Athena cried as she began to gather her things. She looked at Apollo, who was just saving a document onto his laptop. "We're still going Christmas shopping, right Apollo?"

"Of course. Just relax for a minute, Tiger. We still got a few minutes."

"Well excuse me for being ready to leave after such a slow day." The girl said. She continued to stare at the clock, looking like she would be running a marathon the second it struck 5 o'clock.

Apollo sighed and looked at his boss. He couldn't help but take notice of the man's silence over the last few hours. He decided to talk to him. "Mr. Wri-"

"CLOSING TIME!" Athena suddenly cried. She grabbed Apollo by the arm and, before he had any idea what was going on, Athena had rushed the two of them out the door.

Phoenix watched as this played out. Normally, the look on Apollo's face would've earned a chuckle from him. But instead, all he could do was sigh.

Maya finally entered the room. "Oh, guess it's closing time, huh? Hey, where's Trucy? Shouldn't she be home from school by now?"

"Huh? Oh, she went Christmas shopping with her friend Jinxie, I think."

Maya put her hands on her hips and walked up to Phoenix's desk. "Alright, what's wrong?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."

"Nick, I've known you for years. I don't need Apollo's eyesight or Athena's hearing to know that you're lying. Now spill. What's going on?"

Defeated, Phoenix sighed and brought up the e-mail on his computer. "Take a look at this." He said.

Maya walked around the desk to view the monitor. Her jaw dropped. "Your DAD e-mailed you? You HAVE a dad?"

Phoenix was slightly taken aback. "Of course I have a dad, Maya. And a mother too, if you're about to ask."

"Well, sorry, I'm just surprised. You never talk about your family. I assumed we were in the same boat as far as parents go."

 _Oh yeah,_ Phoenix thought. _I sometimes forget Maya doesn't really have any family beyond Pearls._

"But, that aside," Maya continued. "This is awesome! I finally get to meet your parents!"

"Huh? Maya, are you crazy!? I don't wanna go see them!"

Maya flinched at this. "What the hell, Nick? Your parents invite us over for Christmas and you don't even wanna go?"

"Maya, look. My relationship with my parents is… Rough, to say the least."

Maya was confused now. "How so?"

Phoenix sighed and looked at the clock. His eyes then went wide. "Crap! I'm gonna be late!" He cried, rushing to the coat rack and throwing on his winter coat and scarf.

"Late? Late for what? And don't change the subject, Nick!"

Phoenix tightened his scarf. "Look, I'll tell you about it later, Maya. Right now, I have plans."

"Well, let me get my coat and I'll join you."

"No!" Phoenix cried.

Maya nearly jumped out of her skin at Phoenix's sudden outburst.

"S-sorry. Look, I'm meeting someone alone, alright?"

Maya gave him a quizzical look. "Nick, you're worrying me. What's going on?"

Phoenix paused as he reached for the doorknob. "I… I really can't tell you, Maya."

"Why not!?"

"I just can't. Look, it's nothing you have to worry about. Why don't you see if you can catch up with Apollo and Athena? Join them Christmas shopping."

"Nick…"

Phoenix sighed and reached into his pocket to pull something out. He grabbed Maya's hand and placed the object in it.

Maya opened her hand and looked down. It was her Magatama.

Phoenix cleared his throat. "Maya, you have nothing to worry about with this meeting I'm going to."

Maya stared at Phoenix for a moment before releasing a breath. "Alright, I trust you. I know you wouldn't keep this secret from me if it wasn't important." She handed the Magatama back to Phoenix. "But this conversation about your parents is far from over."

"I understand. Now I really have to go." He leaned forward and kissed the girl before rushing out the door.

* * *

December 19  
5:34 PM  
West Pavilion Mall

Athena and Apollo wandered through the crowded shopping mall.

"Alright, Apollo. Who do we still have to buy for?" Athena asked.

"Well, I don't know about you, but most of my list is checked off."

"Really? Well let's run down what you got everyone."

Apollo chuckled. "Alright, sure. Shoot me a few names."

"Mr. Wright."

"A new pocket watch."

"Maya."

"Steel Samurai video game."

"Pearl."

"A book on spirit channeling through the years."

"Prosecutor Gavin."

"A custom guitar pick."

"Athena."

"A gold star for trying."

Athena groaned. "Damn, your good, Apollo. I'll find out what you got me soon enough!"

Apollo chuckled at the girl. _When you do, let me know so I can get it!_

"Well, whaddya say we go to the food court and grab a bite?" Athena asked.

In response, Apollo's stomach growled and the girl laughed at him.

"Did you skip lunch again, Apollo?"

Apollo scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Just wasn't feeling Eldoon's today."

Athena giggled and grabbed her boyfriend's hand "C'mon, my treat."

The two headed towards the center of the mall, where the food court was located and got in line to get some pizza. Once seated, Athena took a bite of her slice and sighed. "It's not the same."

Apollo gave her a strange look. "Are you seriously still not over the whole Peppa Cinni's thing?"

"I'm sorry, ok. That was the best pizza I ever had. It hurts knowing it was illegal so I can never have it again."

"I'm indifferent. The food was good when Broski was there, but once it put my dog's life in danger, I couldn't care less about the food."

"Well, can't argue with you there." Athena said, absent-mindedly sipping on her soda. She took a quick glance over Apollo's shoulder. "Huh? Hey, isn't that Maya over there?"

Apollo turned around and sure enough, there sat the Kurain Master at another table, attacking the first of what seemed to be many cheeseburgers.

"Hey, it is. Wonder what she's doing here."

"Well, let's go find out!" Athena said, standing from the table and rushing over to Maya. Apollo simply sighed and followed behind her.

"Maya! HEY!"

Maya looked up from her food to see Athena rushing toward her, Apollo following further behind. "Oh, Apollo, Athena!"

Athena reached the table. "What are you doing here?"

"I was actually looking for you guys."

Apollo finally caught up. "Yeah, you sure look like you've been looking hard." He said, pointing at the burger in her hand. At some point after they'd first noticed her, she'd moved onto her second burger.

"Well, you're here, aren't you?"

Athena turned and grinned at her boyfriend. "She's gotcha there." She then turned back to Maya. "What were you looking for us for?"

"Well, Nick ran off as soon as you guys left, so I thought I'd join you Christmas shopping. If it's alright, of course."

Apollo's interest was piqued. "Mr. Wright left? Why didn't you go with him?"

Maya sighed before biting into her third burger. "He told me I couldn't go. Said he was meeting someone alone."

Athena raised an eyebrow. "That seems… odd. I wonder what he's up to."

* * *

December 19  
5:43 PM  
Tres Bien

Phoenix glanced at his watch. _Damn it. I'm not getting out of this unscathed._ He burst through the door of the restaurant. Looking around, the person he'd come to see didn't appear to have arrived yet. _Did… Did I actually make it here befo-_ "Yeoooooowch!"

Before he could finish his thought, he was met with a familiar stinging sensation to his forehead. Wincing in pain, he turned in the direction the pain came from and was not surprised at all by who he saw.

"You certainly know how to keep a lady waiting, Mr. Phoenix Wright." Said Franziska Edgeworth from her seat at the nearby table.

Phoenix sighed as he rubbed his forehead and took a seat at the table. "It's good to see you too, Franziska."

"Hmph." Franziska re-attached her whip to the holster at her waist. Over the years, Franziska had aged very well. Her platinum hair was now longer, reaching her shoulders. Much like her husband, she had taken to wearing spectacles. Whether they were for actual use or simply for looks was anyone's guess. If asked, Phoenix was certain she would claim her eyesight was perfect.

Franziska leaned over the table and waved her finger about, much as she always does. "It has been quite some time, Phoenix Wright. I was rather surprised by your invitation."

"Well, I was just as surprised that you accepted." Phoenix said, taking up a menu.

"You _are_ my husband's best friend, Phoenix Wright. I must make some attempt to get along with you, yes?"

Phoenix chuckled. "Yeah, you've got a point."

"That being said…" Franziska looked Phoenix dead in the eyes. "To what do I owe this invitation?"

"Right to the chase, huh?" Phoenix said, laying down his menu.

"I am no fool, Phoenix Wright. There must be some reason as to why you would wish to meet with me alone."

"What, rekindling an old friendship isn't reason enough?" Phoenix joked.

Franziska quickly began to reach for her whip.

"Ah! Ok, ok, I'll tell you, just put the whip away!"

A devilish smile played on Franziska's lips. "It would seem you are learning, Phoenix Wright. Now out with it!"

Phoenix took a deep breath and looked the German woman in the eye. "By now, you probably know that Maya and I are together, right?"

"Yes, Miles has indeed informed me of your relationship with Miss Fey."

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about…" Phoenix paused for a brief second before speaking again. "I want you to help me pick out an engagement ring for Maya."


	3. Christmas Fopping

**A/N: And with this one, I no longer have any chapters in reserve. I'm really hoping I can get this story finished before either Christmas or my birthday, but at the same time, I wanna try to finish Ace Mommy before the end of the year. My plate's a bit full in terms of my stories, but I still enjoy writing them so much.**

 **Quick shoutouts to the awesome reviewers from last chapter.**

 **GameLord the Hitman: Hey, I needed an excuse to get Franzy into this story. And boy am I gonna have fun with it.**

 **ZardX (I sure hope this translates correctly): Honestamente, dado un contexto de pruebas y tribulaciones, no creo Maya cuenta con uno de los suyos. De hecho, en cierto modo me dio la sensación de que Phoenix es uno de los tipos. Podría estar equivocado. Tal vez encontremos en 6?  
Y es bueno saber de usted personalmente! Recuerdo JordanPhoenix mencionar cuando tenías un par de reqeusts Drabble.**

 **Anikasnow6: It truly wouldn't be Ace Attorney without some family issues, would it? I truly do like Klavier, I thought he was a cool character who deserved a little more backstory. I mean, the poor guy lost his friend and his brother in the same year. Both of them turning out to be murderers, not to mention, his brother used him as a pawn. And yes, those two crazy kids deserve each other.**

 **Ryszard: I already PM'd you about it, but I want to apologize once again for my mistake last chapter. I certainly should have clarified more.**

 **Saintgirl1999: I haven't played Uncharted, so I had to look the song up. You're right, that was one EPIC reveal!**

 **Multifangirl6: Yep, Ol' Nick is ready to settle down! And how could I possibly resist the opportunity to give Nick a good lashing from our favorite whip happy prosecutor?**

* * *

December 19  
5:52 PM  
Tres Bien

Franziska very nearly choked on the tea she was sipping. Quickly placing the cup on the table she looked at the spikey-haired fool across from her. "Are my ears working correctly? It sounded like you just asked me to help you choose an _engagement ring_ for Miss Fey."

Phoenix simply nodded. "That's exactly what I said. These last few months with Maya have been the greatest of my life. It's not even a question anymore _if_ I want to spend my life with her. The only question is when I can start."

Franziska was dumbfounded. In all the years she'd known Phoenix Wright, she'd never once thought of him as ever so much as being intimate with a woman. But now here he was, laying down his intention to propose to his former assistant. She took another sip of her tea. "As flattered as I am by the offer, I must wonder why you wish for my assistance on this matter. Would your young employee not be better suited than I?"

"Athena? Yeah, she'd probably be a good pick, but something tells me she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. Really, I just need a woman's opinion on this and you seem like a really good choice. Look, I understand if you don't want to, but I thought-"

"Nonsense, Phoenix Wright." Franziska interrupted. "As I said, I am flattered that you would ask for my assistance. After all," She then readjusted her glasses. "Without my help, how could you possibly hope find the perfect ring?"

* * *

December 19  
6:08 PM  
West Pavilion Mall

Apollo had his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he wandered through the mall. Maya and Athena had gone off together, leaving him to wander through the mall on his own.

 _Man, Athena should have been the first person whose gift I bought, but here I am. With absolutely no clue what to get her. How exactly do I top that hair ribbon?_

As he wandered, racking his brain for an idea, he wasn't paying attention when a person walked right into him and they both fell on their behinds.

"Ow! Man, shoulda been looking where I was going." Apollo said, rubbing his rear.

"Herr Forehead?" Said a voice.

Apollo looked at the person across from him and was met with none other than the rockstar prosecutor himself, Klavier Gavin.

"Oh, Prosecutor Gavin!" Apollo cried, quickly pulling himself up from the ground and offering a hand to man. "Sorry about that, I guess I wasn't paying attention."

Klavier accepted the hand and was hoisted up. "Nein, it is fine, Herr Forehead. I wasn't paying attention either." He then leaned forward and smiled at the horned attorney. "So what brings you here? Perhaps, shopping last minute for my gift?"

Apollo chuckled and crossed his arms. "What makes you think you're getting a gift from me?"

Klavier clutched at his chest, faking that he'd been hurt. "Ach, mein heart. How could you be so cruel, Herr Forehead?"

Apollo gave the man a friendly punch in the arm. "Relax, your gift is already wrapped and ready to go."

Klavier smiled, messing with his hair. "And your year's supply of forehead polish should be in the mail as we speak."

Apollo slumped forward, his horns drooping. _Somehow I get the feeling he's not joking._

"So what does bring you here?" Klavier asked.

Straightening up, Apollo crossed his arms. "Well, you were half right before. I am doing some last minute Christmas shopping."

The two began to continue walking as they talked. "Ja? And whose gift have you waited this long to purchase?"

Apollo scratched the back of his head nervously. "Oh, y'know. Just my girlfriend."

"A girlfriend? Herr Forehead, I thought what we had was special!" Klavier joked.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard all the gay jokes before."

Klavier laughed. "Forgive me, I could not resist." He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "So who is the lucky lady? Someone I know perhaps?"

Apollo smiled to himself, still beyond happy that he could say the next sentence. "You've met her. It's Athena."

Klavier's eyes widened. "Fraulein Cykes? I'm impressed, Herr Forehead."

"What, is it THAT surprising that I can get a girlfriend."

Klavier smirked. "You don't want the answer to that, Herr Justice."

Apollo shot a glare at the man. "You're a real comedian, you know that?"

Klavier smiled, running a hand through his hair. "Oh? Perhaps I should consider a career change."

"So enough about me, what brings you here?" Apollo asked.

"I am in much the same position as you, actually. Last minute shopping." Klavier explained.

"And you're giving me a hard time?"

"Hey, in my defense, I was unaware that I would be spending Christmas with anyone until a few hours ago. Let alone this person." Klavier said.

"Oh really? And who would _this person_ be?" Apollo questioned.

Klavier hesitated a moment, stopping in his tracks. Apollo stopped as well and turned to look at the prosecutor. "Prosecutor Gavin?"

"You… would not believe me if I told you, Forehead."

* * *

December 19  
6:23 PM  
West Pavilion Mall

"Seriously?" Maya asked. "You haven't bought Apollo's gift yet?"

"I know, I know, I'm terrible." Athena said as she browsed through various men's clothes around the two of them. "I just can't think of any ideas. Apollo's probably picked out the greatest gift ever for me and I have no clue what to get him."

"I dunno," Maya said walking over to the girl. "I think he's gonna have a hard time topping that." She pointed at Athena's ponytail, indicating the Kurain lily hair ribbon Apollo had given her several months prior.

Athena giggled. "Yeah, it will admittedly be tough to outdo himself there. But I'll love whatever he gets me either way." She put down the ugly sweater she was looking at and turned her attention back to Maya. "So what'd you get Mr. Wright?"

Maya sighed. "I swear, Nick is always such a pain to buy for. But, Trucy and I pulled our money together and got him a new coffee maker. And not a cheap one either. It's one of those ones that you can use either grounds or those little cups."

"Oh, you mean one of the new Beurigs? That's awesome! I'll be mooching off of that big time at the office." Athena said as she looked over the tie rack.

Maya let out a laugh. "You're not the only one. Trucy's already picked out her own selection of coffee for the thing. I also got him some high dollar coffee grounds imported. A friend gave me the suggestion."

The two left the men's clothing department and headed for the electronics. "That sounds like a really awesome idea. Apollo could use a new coffee maker…"

Maya laughed. "Please, you expect me to believe you can afford a Beurig on what Nick pays you?"

Athena grimaced. "Ya don't have to rub it i-whoa!" She cried out as she walked into someone and toppled over.

The person shoved Athena off of them. "Ya wanna watch where you're going!?" They cried out.

Athena composed herself and sat up to look at the person she ran in to. "Hey, I'm sor- Hey, aren't you that detective friend of Apollo's?"

The woman stood from the floor and dusted off her lab coat. "Justice? Yeah, I know him. And who are you?"

Maya suddenly cried out! "Ema!" She threw her arms around the detective.

"Whoa! Easy there, girl." Ema said, gently pushing Maya off her. "What brings you here, Maya? Haven't seen you in a while."

After the events of the Peppa Cinni's trial, Maya and Ema had become fast friends, hanging out often. Plus, Maya acting as Phoenix's assistant off and on, the two interacted during some cases. Particularly cases Klavier Gavin prosecuted.

"I'm Christmas shopping with Athena here." Maya explained, pulling Athena from the floor.

"Athena, huh? That sounds familiar." Ema said as she produced her seemingly endless bag of Snackoos.

"That's cause we've met before. It was just the once, at the crime scene during the Peppa Cinni's case, so I don't blame you for forgetting." Athena explained. "So, re-introductions! I'm Athena Cykes, an attorney and Apollo's girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, huh?" Ema pondered as she popped a Snackoo in her mouth. "Honestly, I wasn't sure Justice swung that way."

Athena let out an exasperated sigh. "Why does everybody think that? Is it the bracelet?"

Maya decided to cut in. "So, what brings you here, Ema?"

"Same as you. Christmas shopping." Ema said bluntly.

"Really? The other day you said you finally finished. Who's left to buy for?" Maya asked.

Ema looked off into the distance before replying. "Would you believe me if I said Klavier?"

* * *

December 19  
7:09 PM  
West Pavilion Mall

"I still cannot believe you talked me into going to that pathetic excuse for a restaurant again! Fine French cuisine, my a-"

"I get it! I'll make it up to you somehow, but can we stop talking about the poor food? You were even complaining to the cabbie!" Phoenix cried.

Franziska gritted her teeth and reached for her whip, causing Phoenix to flinch. Franziska let out an exasperated sigh. "You are taking the fun out of this, Phoenix Wright."

Phoenix composed himself and continued to walk alongside the German woman. "Well forgive me for not waiting around with a smile on my face as you lash out with that thing."

The two made a beeline for the jewelry store.

"Now, tell me, Phoenix Wright. Do you have any idea what sort of ring you're looking for?" Franziska asked.

"Uh…"

Franziska put a hand to her head, feeling a headache coming on. "Have you not thought this through at all?"

"Uh, well, I thought to bring you. That's thinking something through, right?" Phoenix said.

Franziska sighed. _This fool is my husband's best friend. That thought alone terrifies me._


	4. To Love a Fop

**A/N: Oh, I had so much fun writing this one! I think I'm going to have a bit of a rivalry going on between Athena and Ema. Science vs Emotions! I think I pulled off the Mood Matrix scene here alot better than I did in delivery. Also, i hope you guys like my backstory for Phoenix's dad. I put alot of thought into why his dad would resent attorneys, and I think I hit it spot on. I'd hold a grudge against anyone who carried the same title as someone who tried to kill me.**

 **Shoutout to the reviews for last chapter.**

 **Anikasnow6: Klav always had me cracking up with his clever quips. I truly do hope we get to see more of him later on. And the squirming will not end here!**

 **MF6: I'm glad you think I'm pulling off Franziska well. I hope I'll be able to work into the story a bit more. And the Apollo/Athena parallels will not end there!**

 **SaintGAT1999: My bad! Must have misread the name somehow. Honestly, I write under the assumption that Edgeworth was born with the soul of an old British man in his body.**

 **Ryszard: Hey, I had to take a couple jabs at Apollo. Mostly because Klapollo is just one pairing I don't get. And don't worry, Nick's hunt for 'the Precious' was indeed fruitful!**

 **Skillet28561: Oh! It's been awhile since I've seen that movie. I'll have to work in some Pearl comedy at some point. After all, Christmas is the best time to push your OTP, is it not?**

 **Crom-asome: Glad to hear it! Always happy to get a new reader.**

 **ChristinaHerondale: Well, Phaya IS my OTP. So expect to see plenty of it in not just this story, but pretty much ANYTHING I write!**

* * *

December 19  
8:43 PM  
Wright Anything Agency

Phoenix sat at his desk in the office, still staring down at the ring he had purchased. Franziska had indeed been a huge help in picking out the perfect ring. He was able to tell her some of Maya's preferences, such as whether she liked regular or white gold, and Franziska had spoken with the clerk. She'd even worked as a hand model, as it turned out she and Maya had the same ring size.

Eventually, after some time, he'd walked out of the jewelry store with a beautiful ring. The band was white gold, and had an intricate, almost wispy looking design down the sides. At the top of the ring, a sizable (but not TOO large) diamond was surrounded by two smaller gemstones. A garnet, for his late January birthday, and an amethyst, for Maya's early February birthday. All of the gemstones were real, and thus, the ring had cost him a pretty penny. However, he'd been planning this for a couple of months and, as such, had put back a decent sum for the ring.

As he continued to admire the ring, he heard the door suddenly open and quickly opened his desk drawer, tossing the ring box inside. He then turned to look at who had arrived and was not surprised to see Maya.

"Oh, hey Maya." He said, trying to act natural.

Maya shrugged her coat off and hung it up on the coat rack. "Hey Nick. How'd your top secret mission go?"

Phoenix chuckled at this. "Well, I'd say we're safe from the terrorists for now."

"Oh, thank goodness! I was afraid I'd miss out on Christmas with your parents." Maya said, walking over to the desk, placing her hands on it.

Phoenix's face fell and he sighed. "So we're already back to this?"

"Yes, we're already back to this." Maya said as she sat herself on the desk. "I wanna know why my boyfriend doesn't want me to meet his family."

"Maya, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

Phoenix took in a deep breath and stood from his desk, walking towards his file cabinet.

"Nick, don't ignore me about this!" Maya exclaimed.

"I'm not." Phoenix said, flipping through the files. "I can't really put into words myself how complex this is. So I'm looking for… Ah, here it is!" He said as he pulled a file and closed the cabinet. He then walked over to Maya and handed the file to her. "This explains most of it. I can explain the rest."

Maya looked at the manila folder in her hands. In bright red letters on the front, it read HR-3 Incident.

"Oh lord. One of these." Maya said.

"One of what?" Phoenix questioned.

"One of these incidents. DL-6, SL-9, UR-1. They're always really bad news and they've never been resolved correctly, it seems."

"Well, this one has been resolved. Trust me. Just skim a few of the files."

Maya did as instructed and opened the file. Having grown accustomed to these incident reports, she knew exactly what to look for. First was the case overview.

Victim name: Hugh Randall Wright

Suspect name: Biff Fender

On August 18, 2004, Mr. Hugh R. Wright was shot in the chest in Courtroom No. 4. Though the wound was severe, Wright survived. Wright was employed as a bailiff in the district court. The suspect, Biff Fender was seen by several witnesses shooting Wright in the chest with a 9mm pistol. Fender was a defense attorney and the pistol in question was meant to be a piece of evidence for the trial that was underway. No motive was ever established for Fender and he persistently denied having anything to do with the attack. Following the case, Wright was let go from his job as bailiff, with reasons given being that his injuries kept him from performing his duties.

Maya's eyes grew wide as she read over this. _Nick's dad was nearly killed?_ She flipped more through the files and found the victim and suspect profiles. She pulled the picture from the victim's profile. Indeed, the man was the spitting image of Phoenix, sporting his trademark eyebrows and same features. However, two things set them apart. First, Hugh had a moustache, something that Maya thought Nick would never be able to pull off. Second…

"Nick! His spikes are backwards!" She exclaimed. Indeed, the man in the picture's hair was spikey, but the spikes were facing _forward!_

Phoenix actually chuckled slightly at this, running a hand through his hair. "Most people say it's the other way around."

Maya continued to browse the files, finally looking at Biff Fender's profile. Despite what she'd imagined, the man actually looked nice. One could see the top of his green suit in his picture along with his red tie. He had long shaggy hair that was pulled back in a ponytail in the back. He had stubble growing on his chin. The picture even showed him smiling a crooked toothy grin. Maya had to admit, this guy was handsome.

"Geez," She said. "This guy sure doesn't look like most of the criminals you go up against."

"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving." Phoenix said, staring off into the distance.

Maya closed the file and set it down on the desk. "Alright, so your dad was nearly killed when you were like, what, twelve? What does that have to do with visiting your parents for Christmas?"

"You read over the file good, right? What was Fender's occupation?" Phoenix asked.

"He was a defense attorney. Says so in the overview. What's that-" Maya cut herself off and her eyes widened as she put two and two together. "Nick…"

"I see you get it now." Phoenix said as he picked the file up and headed back to the file cabinet. "My dad hates defense attorneys. And his son just happens to be one."

* * *

December 19  
8:52 PM  
People Park

"Really? You ran into Prosecutor Gavin?" Athena asked.

"Yeah," Apollo replied, his hands in his pockets. "And you'll never guess whose gift he was looking for."

"Ema Skye's." Athena said. It wasn't a guess.

Apollo flinched. "H-how'd you know?"

Athena giggled. "Maya and I happened to run into Ema and she told us."

"Really? Well isn't that a coincidence? So, she told you that they're spending Christmas Eve together? Pretty crazy. Most of the time, it seems like they hate each other."

Athena smiled to herself, not quite ready yet to reveal what she'd learned about Ms. Skye.

* * *

December 19  
6:43 PM  
West Pavilion Mall

"Wait, Klavier? As in, Klavier Gavin?" Athena asked.

"The rockstar prosecutor himself, yes." Ema replied. She turned back to Maya. "He told this sob story about his parents being deadbeats and how he doesn't celebrate Christmas, so I would have felt like a jerk if I didn't invite over for Christmas dinner."

"Oh, Christmas dinner with the fop. How romantic!" Maya teased.

Ema shot a scowl at the woman. "I told you not to even joke about that. You know I can't stand him."

But Athena's ears told her otherwise. _Can't stand him, huh? Then what's with that discord in your voice?_

Maya giggled. "You know I'm only teasing."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I gotta keep looking for the fop's gift. You wanna tag along?" Ema asked, once again stuffing her face with her favorite chocolatey snack.

"Sure! Is that alright with you, Athena?" Maya asked, turning back to her redheaded companion.

"Sure. Maybe one of you guys could give me an idea of what to get Apollo." Athena replied, following after the two other woman as they left the store and headed for another.

"Really?" Ema asked. "You're his girlfriend and you don't have his gift yet?"

"Oh, please. I've already gotten an earful from Maya. Besides…" She shot a devilish grin at the detective. "It seems like I'm not the only one here who's waited 'til the last minute to buy a gift for that special person."

Ema stopped in her tracks and turned to face Athena. Maya backed away slowly, knowing all too well how Ema could be when she was accused of having feelings for Klavier. "What was that supposed to mean?" She asked, staring daggers at Athena.

Athena stood her ground. "I think you know exactly what it was supposed to mean, but I'll spell it out for." Athena thrust her arm forward, pointing an accusing finger at Ema. "Ema Skye, I accuse you of having feelings for Klavier Gavin!"

Ema gritted her teeth. "I can barely stand to be in the same room with that glimmerous fop! And you think I _like_ him? I don't even know you, lady! Who are you to think that I have feelings for him?"

"Athena," Maya said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You may wanna back off, this is very touchy subject with her."

"That's not about to deter me." Athena replied before turning her attention back to Ema. "I'm not just making an accusation here, Miss Skye. I'm absolutely certain of it! And I'll prove with your own words!" Athena reached down to her neck and activated Widget, booting up the Mood Matrix.

Ema looked on, stunned at the hologram screen now being projected. "That's some pretty nice tech you got there. Surprising to see something like that crammed into a necklace."

Athena crossed her arms and smiled at the detective. "Oh, Widget's much more than a simple necklace. This is the Mood Matrix. Coupling Widget with my heightened sense of hearing, I can literally hear the emotions in a person's voice. Their true emotions."

"Emotions? That doesn't sound very scientific. What's that going to prove?"

"it's going to prove your true feelings for Prosecutor Gavin!" Athena said. She then entered a few things into Widget's screen and brought up what Ema had said earlier.

I can barely stand to be in the same room with that glimmerous fop!

The anger indicator blinked slowly, as did the happiness indicator.

And you think I _like_ him?

Anger remained the same, while happiness began to blink faster.

I don't even know you, lady!

Happiness disappeared and anger rose greatly.

Who are you to think that I have feelings for him?

Anger remained high and happiness returned, blinking slowly.

 **Got it!**

"Miss Skye, when I view your… Outburst from earlier, something sticks out to me. You display anger throughout the entirety of it." Athena explained.

"Of course I'm angry! I'm sick and tired of people thinking there's something between me and the fop!" Ema cried.

"But that's just it. You also display happiness throughout the whole the entirety as well. Except during one statement. When you exclaimed that you didn't know me, you registered no happiness. That's also the only time you don't mention Prosecutor Gavin."

Ema began to quickly munch on her Snackoos. "I-is that so?"

 **Noise Level**  
 **50%**

 _Alright, I'm starting to get to her!_ "Alright, Miss Skye, let's see you talk you're way out of this one! Why do you display happiness when you talk about Prosecutor Gavin?"

"Uh, well…"

Alright, maybe I exaggerated a bit.

No emotional fluctuations.

I've worked with the fop for two years now.

Happiness began to blink again.

So, I have to get along with him a little bit at least.

Still only happiness.

But that doesn't mean there's anything between us!

Happiness disappeared and was replaced by sadness.

 **Got it!**

Athena gave her best grin. "I've got you no-ow!" She cried as her forehead was hit with a chocolatey projectile.

"How much longer are you gonna drag this out, Red?" Ema asked, glaring daggers at the girl.

"Not much longer. This should be the end of it." Athena said as she composed herself. "Once again, whenever you talked about Prosecutor Gavin, you only displayed one emotion: Happiness. However, your final statement, about there being nothing between you two, is different. Not only do you register no happiness, the only emotion you DO register is sadness. And the only reason I can think of for that is…" Athena thrust her arm forward. "You're sad because you don't have a romantic relationship with Mr. Gavin!"

Ema shook for moment before flinching, sending her bag of Snackoos flying, raining chocolatey snacks on the group of women as other shoppers walked by, giving them all strange looks. Ema sighed and looked at Athena. "I'm really starting to not like you."

 **Noise Level**  
 **0%**

 **Bye-bye**

"So, are you ready to admit it, Miss Skye?" Athena asked, still putting on a smug face.

"Ema, is she right? Do you actually…" Maya began to ask.

"Alright! Fine! I like the fop a little bit! You both happy!?" Ema cried.

Athena had actually become frightened, while Maya beamed. "I knew it! You two will be so cute together!" She cried.

"Alright, hold on right there." Ema said, pointing a finger at Maya. "All I said was that I liked him. That does not mean I'm gonna start chasing after him like one of his little bimbo fangirls."

"But-| Maya said before being cut off.

"But nothing, Maya! This is staying between the three of us!"

* * *

December 19  
9:06 PM  
Wright Anything Agency

"So… That's it? That's why don't wanna see your parents for Christmas because… you think your dad hates you for being a defense attorney?"

"I don't THINK, Maya. I know. When he found out I was ditching art in college to study law, he was FUMING. He practically told me he wouldn't consider me his son if I went through with it. After I passed the bar and started working for your sister, I never heard from him. I kept in contact with my mom, but the next time I heard from him was after I lost my badge. He was GLOATING."

Maya gasped. "No way… How could he be like that?"

"So now you're starting to see it my way. After that, I guess I spoke to him a little more. I figured, 'Hey, maybe I can try and bury the hatchet with him.' But he still just remained so distant. I'll never forget the look he gave me when I told him I told him I was retaking the bar. It was just pure anger. Like I'd taken a gun and tried to finish the job that guy started." Phoenix continued to rant.

"I… I guess I see where you're coming from. But…" Maya began to say.

"But what? The man abandoned me. What else is there to this?" Phoenix cried.

"But… It looks like he wants to bury the hatchet now, Nick. He's inviting us for Christmas. He and your mother want to meet me. And to be honest, I'd love to meet them."

Phoenix sighed. "Maya, why do _you_ care so much? You said it yourself earlier, you thought my parents were dead."

Maya looked down at the floor. "I care because they're YOUR parents Nick. Your FAMILY. I wanna meet them. Because… What if I decide to join your family someday?"

Phoenix's eyes went wide at this. She had a point. In his desk drawer was sitting the question of her joining the Wright family. And here he was, arguing with who he hoped was his wife to be, telling her how he didn't want to see his parents. Let alone let her meet them.

"Nick, I've never really been much of a family person. My dad died before I was even able to form memories. My mom ran away so long ago I barely remember her face. My sis was taken from me. And my aunt tried to have me killed. The only family I really have is Pearly. I… I don't to see you push your family away when you have the choice to let them be a part of your life."

Phoenix felt guilty. Everything she said was the truth. Her family had been taken from her, against her will. She'd never been allowed the chance to have a happy family. And yet Phoenix now had a possible chance to put his family back together and hopefully add a new member to it.

Phoenix took a deep breath. "You're right, Maya."

"Nick?"

"I can't make any promises," He said, striding over to the woman and placing his hands on her shoulders. "But I'll talk to my dad. You, me, Trucy… Heck, maybe you could even bring Pearls, we'll go see my parents. Maybe you're right and this will be my chance to smooth things out with my dad."

Maya's frown began to form into a smile. "You mean it, Nick?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes. You'll be spending Christmas with the Wrights."

Maya beamed and threw her arms around her boyfriend. "Thank you, Nick! I love you so much!"

Phoenix returned the embrace, his gaze lingering on his desk drawer. "I love you too, Maya."


	5. Over the River and Through the Woods

**A/N: Get ready guys, because next chapter we finally get to meet Emma and Hugh R. Wright! This one was actually really fun to write, especially when I came up with the idea for the Agency Christmas party, so I hope it's just as fun to read! I'm really looking forward to writing a couple more OC's so hopefully the wait for the next chapter won't be too long.**

 **Shout to the reviewers from chapter 4:**

 **Ryszard: Which dinner? Personally, I'm most looking forward to Wrighting the detective and the fop! Also... One of us. One of us.**

 **Skillet28561: Oh, I'd be interested in seeing you write any AA story. I always like seeing some of my readers try their hand at AA. ANd yes, for every Damian Tenma, we seem to have a Manfred von Karma waiting just around the corner.  
And don't worry, the details of Ace Mommy will remain out of this story, as even though it IS part of the TEA series, it's the least relevant, and could probably just be considered a side story.**

 **Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few drabbles to type up. Yanmega away!**

* * *

December 22  
4:49 PM  
Wright Anything Agency

The final business day of the year for the Wright Anything Agency had finally arrived. During his first years of business, Phoenix usually kept the office open for the holidays. But now, with his two employees and his daughter, he felt he needed to ease up and let everyone relax.

To that end, he decided to close out the work year with an ugly sweater Christmas party. Phoenix himself was wearing a navy blue sweater, adorned with the Scales of Justice surrounded by snowflakes and old Saint Nick himself.

Maya, not surprisingly, had managed to find a purple Steel Samurai themed sweater, featuring her favorite hero brandishing a large fan adorned with Christmas trees.

Pearl, who had arrived the day before, had little time to prepare for the party, and so was wearing an oversized sweater featuring the Grinch, in his infamous faux Santa outfit, stealing a string of Christmas lights, which she had borrowed from Athena.

Trucy had knitted her own sweater. It was a baby blue creation, covered with snowflakes, which had each of their names written across them. Or rather, their nicknames. One read Daddy, another read Polly, and yet another was labeled Thena.

Apollo, shockingly, had gotten rather into the spirit and was decked out in a red sweater adorned with actual working lights, which lit up whenever he pressed the button on his collar.

Finally, Athena, trumping all of them, was covered head to toe in Christmas gear. Her yellow sweater was littered with tiny anime characters wearing Santa hats. On her head, she wore a pair of reindeer antlers and had pulled her hair out of its trademark side ponytail. She wore red leggings as opposed to her usual black pair and replaced her yellow skirt with a green elf skirt adorned with little bells.

Phoenix raised a wine glass, filled with grape juice, into the air. "Alright guys, I know you're anxious to get out of here and enjoy the days off, but I just want to have a toast."

"With no wine? Lame!" Maya said, earning a laugh from Athena.

"Hey," Phoenix said. "Half the people in this room are underage. Not to mention, this IS a business."

"Even if we haven't had any business all month." Apollo said, sipping from his glass. Trucy, Maya, Athena, and Pearl all laughed.

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me, Apollo. I'll remember that as I fill out your Christmas bonus check." Phoenix retorted, causing the red clad attorney to put on an exasperated look. Phoenix then got back to business. "As I was saying, I just wanted propose a toast to all of you. Apollo, Athena." He said, looking at his two young employees. "Words can't describe how grateful I am to you two. This has been a long year, what with cleaning up the mess of the Dark Age, not to mention the loss you suffered around this time last year, Apollo. Nevertheless, the two of you have put forth incredible effort in the office and in the courtroom."

"Oh, quit with the praise, boss. We already know how awesome we are!" Athena cried.

Phoenix smiled and turned his attention to Trucy. "Trucy, what can I honestly say? You've been a big help around the office, and have still managed to find a way to juggle school and your shows. You're always right there when daddy needs a helping hand."

Trucy tilted her hat on her head and stuck out her tongue. "Well, I try my best."

Next he turned to Pearl. "And Pearl, I'm so glad you could make it here. Having Christmas with my family just wouldn't feel the same without my other daughter."

Pearl put her hands to her face, gushing. "Oh, Mr. Nick, you're too sweet."

Finally, he turned to Maya. "And Maya… Honestly, I'm at a loss for words. The time you and I have spent together this year has almost felt like a dream. I don't wanna sound too cheesy, so I'll leave it at that. But just know that I'm grateful just having you back here."

Maya blushed, unable to reply as Athena, Trucy, and Pearl all looked on, giggling.

"In short, guys, I just wanted to thank you all for a great year." He raised his glass higher. "Here's to another great one next year!"

"Here here!" Athena cried.

 **Clink**

December 22  
5:53 PM  
Gatewater Hotel

"In closing, we have had a most impressive year in terms of prosecuting criminals. I only hope that we can continue crack down on the dark underbelly of this city." Edgeworth raised his wine glass high. "To another prosperous year!"

"Here here!" Resounded the crowd.

Klavier sipped from his glass and glanced across the table at Ema, who was currently speaking with her sister, Officer Lana Skye. Klavier still found it astonishing that the woman had been given a place on the force again after the incident several years before.

Although he would never admit it to anyone, least of all her, Klavier found himself rather attracted the young woman. Perhaps it was the reason he butted heads with her so often. It may sound cliché, but he found her adorable when she was angered. He also loved that sparkle in her eyes whenever she would get the chance to use her science tools at a crime scene.

As he was admiring the woman, he failed to notice her trying to get his attention. He finally came back to reality when she lobbed one of her ever present Snackoos at him.

"Ach! What? What is it, Fraulein?" He said, rubbing his forehead.

"Oh good, you aren't dead." Ema said. "Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth is calling for you." She gestured over his shoulder.

Klavier turned around and sure enough, Miles Edgeworth was waving him over from his table. He mentally chastised himself before excusing himself to speak with his boss.

The Skye sisters watched as the prosecutor walked off. Lana smirked and glanced at her sister. "You can stop admiring your boss's rear anytime now, Ema."

Ema blushed and glared at her sister. "Not you too, sis! Why does everyone think I have a thing for the fop!?"

Lana gave her sister a knowing look until the younger woman cracked. "Alright! I like him! Geez, why is everyone pressuring me this week?"

Lana laughed. "Well, I AM your sister. If anyone knows you, it's me."

Ema groaned and sipped her wine. "You and that damn employee of Mr. Wright's."

"Mr. Wright's employee?"

Ema sighed. "Yeah, I got into a bit of a debate with her the other day. Apparently she's a Kryptonian or something and has super hearing that tells her people's emotions." She took notice of Lana giving her a skeptical look. "Hey, I wouldm't be saying it if I hadn't experienced it firsthand!"

"Whatever you say, sis." Lana said, sipping her wine. "So, now that you've let the cat out of the bag to me, when are you going to tell Herr Fop?"

"Are you crazy!? Never! I'm going to handle this little crush scientifically."

"And by scientifically, do you mean you're just going to keep being sour to him until either your feelings go away or he does?" Lana inquired.

Ema popped a Snackoo in her mouth. "You know me so well."

Lana sighed. "Honestly, Ema. You do this every time you like a guy. You admit that you like them then treat them like dirt, hoping that they'll leave you alone eventually."

"Hey, don't go all psychiatrist on me… But yeah, that's essentially how it goes. What's your point?"

"Em, you need to allow someone into your life. As much as you may want to, you can't marry your science tools."

Ema put a hand to her face as her sister continued to bicker. Meanwhile, as the two sisters argued, Klavier was speaking to his boss.

"You wanted to see me, Herr Edgeworth?" He said.

Edgeworth finished saying something to his wife, Franziska, before turning to Klavier. "Ah yes, Mr. Gavin. I wanted to personally congratulate you on an exemplary year. Your record this year is most impressive."

"Oh, thank you sir. That means quite a lot coming from you." Klavier responded.

Edgeworth smiled. "Think nothing of it. Now, there was also something a bit more… Personal that I wished to speak to you about. Won't you take a seat?" He said, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Klavier began to grow worried but took a seat nonetheless. "Is something the matter, sir?"

"That's what I wish to know, Klavier." Edgeworth said, adjusting his glasses. "Since I've been Chief Prosecutor, I couldn't help but notice that you… Behave differently around this time of the year. I was simply wondering if everything is alright."

Klavier never realized how obvious it was that his general disposition changed around Christmas. He saw no reason to lie to his boss. Aside from that, he'd seen the Chief Prosecutor draw whatever information he desired from just about everyone. Watching Edgeworth interrogate a witness was like watching the world's most one sided chess match. Klavier had no desire to be on the receiving end of that!

"Er, n-not exactly, Herr Edgeworth." He then went on to explain the same thing he had told Ema a few days before.

"Hmph, despicable." Franziska said. "For your parents to choose your murderous brother over you? They do not deserve to be called your parents!"

"Indeed." Edgeworth said. "That is a most unfortunate circumstance. I can't help but wonder why they would behave as such."

Klavier knew all too well why. But he decided to keep it to himself. No reason to divulge more sad information to the Edgeworths.

"Klavier, as you said that you don't necessarily celebrate the holiday, I would feel rather like a… Oh, what is the word for that green curmudgeon who absconded with that village's gifts in that cartoon special?"

"I believe you are referring to the Grinch who stole Christmas, darling." Franziska said.

"Ah, yes, of course. I would feel like a Grinch if I did not extend the offer. Franziska and I will be hosting a party on Christmas Eve. It will mostly be relatives of mine and Franziska's, as well as a few of our servant's families. I would be honored if you were to join us."

Klavier was caught a little off guard by this. He was caught even more off-guard by Fraulein Edgeworth's silence on the matter. The woman had always seemed to dislike his presence, so for her to raise no objections to her husband inviting him into their home was unprecedented to say the least!

Klavier mulled over the invitation for a moment before glancing over his shoulder, back at his table, where Lana and Ema continued to bicker. He smiled softly to himself before looking back at the Edgeworths. "I sincerely appreciate the offer, Herr Edgeworth. However, I presently already have plans for Christmas Eve."

"Oh? From what you said, I assumed you had no plans."

"Ja, but, you see, just the other day, I recanted the tale I just told you to Fraulein Skye. Er, that is, EMA Skye. Und she invited me over for Christmas dinner, as her sister will be out of town with her fiancé, it seems."

Edgeworth quirked an eyebrow. "Ema Skye, you say? Interesting. Though you two work well as partners, it always seemed that she regarded you with contempt. It shocks me that she would invite to her abode."

Klavier looked down at his wine glass and chuckled. "Ja. You and me both, Herr Edgeworth."

December 22  
6:52 PM  
Los Angeles Bus Station

"Nick, it's freezing! Why did we get here so early!?"

Phoenix looked at his girlfriend, who was shivering while sipping on a to go cup of Trucy's special hot chocolate. "Maya, we just got here. The bus will be here in seven minutes. That's hardly early."

"Why couldn't we have taken an early bus tomorrow? Your parents aren't expecting us until then." Maya asked.

"Because my parents live in Utah. We won't be getting there UNTIL tomorrow." Phoenix explained.

"Utah!? You didn't think to mention that before?"

Phoenix gave her an exasperated look. "I did. That's why I told you to pack plenty to keep yourself busy on the bus ride."

"Ugh! I wish I'd been paying more attention! I don't think my DS will last the whole ride!"

Phoenix sighed and glanced over at Trucy and Pearl, who were chattering excitedly.

"You're gonna love my grandparents, Pearly. Grandma Emma bakes the best desserts ever and Grandpa Hugh tells the best stories!"

One thing Phoenix had to admit about his father was that he'd taken quite the shine to Trucy. The man had been skeptical when Phoenix told him that he'd adopted a child, but from the moment he met the girl, he'd fallen in love with her. Whenever they came to visit, the older man practically begged Trucy to perform a magic show just for them. It was perhaps the happiest he saw his dad since the incident.

"Nick?" Maya said, snapping Phoenix out of his trance.

"Huh? What is it Maya?"

Maya smiled at him. "I just wanted to thank you for doing this. I know it can't be easy going to face your dad, but I'm so glad you can't put that aside for me."

It was now Phoenix's turn to smile. "It's fine, Maya. You may be right anyway. Maybe my dad has gotten over this petty lawyer hate thing and is ready to try and be a good father."

Maya took her boyfriend's hand. "I really hope so, Nick."

Finally, the bus came around the corner and stopped. The group found seats quickly and began the journey to Utah.


	6. To Grandmother's House we go

**A/N: Welp, only nine days till Christmas. Looks like if I wanna finish this story in time, I'll have to shift into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.**

 **Ah, but really, I had a blast writing this chapter. I wanna be sure to flesh out Nick's dad as much I can. Let's face it, we've all wondered at one point or another what Mama and Papa Wright would be like, so I hope I can show you guys one interesting way they could be.**

 **I'll leave this note shot and sweet. Enjoy chapter 6, guys!**

* * *

December 23  
10:03 AM  
Salt Lake City Bus Station

Phoenix shook Maya by her shoulder, trying to wake the woman up. "Maya. Hey, Maya! Wake up. We're here.

Maya mumbled drowsily as she dreamed. "Mmmm, not now, Nick. I'm about stop the Evil Magistrate from destroying all the burgers in the world."

Trucy and Pearl giggled from the seat across as Phoenix sighed and rolled his eyes. He then cleared his throat before taking a page from Apollo's book. "HEY, IS THAT THE STEEL SAMURAI GIVING AWAY FREE CHEESEBURGERS!?" He cried at the top of his lungs. Not particularly Chords of Steel-worthy, but loud enough to earn angry looks from the other sleeping passengers.

Maya's eyes shot open immediately. "Where!? Where are the burgers!?"

Phoenix chuckled as he watched the woman search frantically for her hero. "Glad to see you're up. C'mon, grab your luggage. My parents should be here to pick us up any minute."

A few minutes later, the group was off the bus and seated at a bench, waiting for Phoenix's parents to arrive.

"Nick, couldn't we have been dropped off any closer than this?" Maya asked as her game system finally died.

"Unfortunately, no. This was the closest bus station. My parents actually live outside of the city. Kind of on the countryside." Phoenix explained.

"The countryside? Nick, are you telling me you're country bumpkin?!"

Phoenix sighed. "Maya, my parents moved out here way after I moved out of their house. I've lived in LA my whole life."

"Oh, good. I love you and all, Nick, but imagining you as a country boy was not a pleasant thought."

Phoenix leaned back and sighed. As he did, he heard the sound of a car horn beeping. Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw an SUV pulling up near them. He sucked in a deep breath. _This is it. Ready or not, here come mom and dad._

His mother was the first to step out of the vehicle. Emma Wright was a very tiny woman in her mid-60's. Her long hair, which had once been a chocolatey brown, had faded over the years and was now streaked with grey. On her face, she wore a pair of red, thick rimmed glasses. Despite her age, the woman had hardly a wrinkle upon her face. She was bundled up warmly in a navy blue coat and a red scarf.

"Phoenix!" She cried, moving toward her son, arms wide open. Phoenix happily accepted the hug.

"Hi mom. It's been awhile." He said, smiling as the older woman pulled back.

"Far too long, dear. Far too long." She then turned her attention to Trucy. "Oh, and my little Trucy!"

"Hi grandma!" Cried the young magician as she excitedly hugged the woman. "I missed you so much!"

"Oh, we've missed you too, dear." Emma said, pulling out of the hug.

Phoenix placed a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Mom, there's a couple of people I'd like you to meet." He said as his mother turned to face him. He then pulled Maya forward so that two women were face to face. "Mom, this is Maya Fey."

"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet you, dear!" Emma said, offering Maya a hug, who happily accepted it.

"It's great to finally meet you too, Mrs. Wright." Maya said, a wide grin plastered on her face.

Emma pulled out of the hug. "Oh, please dear, just call me Emma." She then turned her attention to Pearl. "Oh, and who is this adorable young lady?"

Pearl smiled and gave a bow. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Pearl Fey."

The older woman chuckled before pulling Pearl into a hug, catching the young spirit medium off-guard. "No need to be so formal, dear."

As his mother began to speak to Maya and Pearl, Nick glanced at the SUV just in time to see his dad stepping out. He looked almost the same as he did in the picture Maya saw of him. Although he still sported his moustache and frontward facing spikes, they had obviously greyed with age. He'd also taken to wearing a pair of glasses on his face. However, what was most striking about the man was how he walked. Having been shot in the chest, obviously it had taken a toll on him. In this case, the bullet had lodged itself near his lungs. Even after it had been removed, he became winded very easily. Because of this, he had to walk with a cane, should he need to rest. His mother insisted that he upgrade to a walker, but, being the stubborn ox that he was, he refused.

The rest of the group finally took notice of what Phoenix was watching and watched as the older man walked towards them. Phoenix swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't quite read his father's expression. He never had been able to.

Finally, Hugh stood in front of his son, looking straight at him.

Phoenix swallowed the lump in his throat. "Hi dad."

December 23  
10:34 AM  
Apollo Justice's apartment

Apollo groggily pulled himself out of bed. He glanced at his clock to see that it was still somewhat early. Climbing out of bed, he headed for the kitchen.

Icarus, his faithful dog, greeted him excitedly as he stepped into the room. Apollo smiled and headed to the cupboard where he kept the dog's food. He quickly filled his bowl and went to work making his morning coffee. A chore in and of itself. He really needed a new coffeemaker.

Sitting at the table, a bowl of Corn Flakes and a cup of joe in hand, he began to think over his current dilemma.

 _It's two days until Christmas and somehow I still don't have a gift for Athena. Yet somehow I found the time to order a custom guitar pick for the prosecutor I barely speak to outside the courtroom. Boy, I'm really shooting for that boyfriend of the year award, huh?_

Sighing, he looked at Icarus. "Don't suppose you have any ideas, do ya boy?" Icarus barked in response. "Nah, I think she has enough squeaky toys as it is."

He glanced at the wall clock. 11 am.

 _Hm, Athena said she's gonna be having lunch with Prosecutor Blackquill today. That gives me plenty of time to find something._

Finishing his breakfast, he headed for the bathroom to shower and style his hair.

December 23  
10:39 AM  
Salt Lake City Bus Station

Phoenix watched as his dad's expression changed from blank to an almost joyous one.

"Phoenix, my boy!" He cried as he pulled his son into a bear hug, dropping his cane and causing Phoenix's eyes to grow wide. "Ah, son, it's been way too long!"

"Uh, y-y-yeah. It sure has, dad." Phoenix stuttered out, still caught off guard by his father's unusual happiness.

Pulling back, but keeping his hands on his son's shoulders, Hugh looked at him. "You really should come see us more often, son. We won't be around forever ya know!"

"Oh, uh, yeah. It's, uh, been a busy year, y'know." Phoenix said.

Hugh then turned his attention to Trucy. "And my little Trucy!" He cried, scooping the young girl off the ground in a hug.

Trucy giggled. "Hi grandpa! I missed you!"

Placing Trucy back on the ground, Hugh bent down to her level. "We missed you too, sweetie. Oh, and your grandma and I got you a little something." He reached behind Trucy's ear and produced a twenty dollar bill, seemingly from thin air.

Trucy gasped. "Grandpa, you've been practicing!" She cried, snatching up the money and hugging the older man.

Hugh chuckled. "Well, at my age, you've got nothing better to do than practice impressing your grandkid." He then turned his attention to Maya and Pearl. "And who are these two enchanting beauties, son?

Emma chuckled from beside her husband. "Oh, Hugh. Do remember that you're a married man."

Phoenix snapped himself back to reality. "Oh, uh, right, sorry." Phoenix stepped between the two women. "This is Maya." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "And Pearl." He placed a hand on her head.

Pearl was the first to try and greet the man. "Nice to meet you, si- whoa!" Both women were caught off guard by Hugh pulling them into a group hug.

"Ah, so you two are the young ladies who have been keeping track of my son. I hope he hasn't been too much trouble."

Maya let out a giggle as Hugh released him. "Oh, he can be a handful. Just a few months ago, he went Vegas for a law sem-"

"So, Dad!" Phoenix interrupted. He wanted to make sure the topic of law didn't come up around his dad. Not to mention, he was none too proud of the events that had unfolded in Vegas. "How have you and mom been? I barely hear from you anymore."

"And who's fault is that, son?" Hugh said. "I'm not sure you realize it, but phones work both ways! Hah ha haha!" Hugh laughed hysterically at the joke. In his mind, he always believed himself to be a regular comedian.

Emma then spoke up. "Oh, we've been doing well, dear. But let's not talk here. We'll have plenty of time to talk when we get to the house. Phoenix, be a gentleman and carry the bags to the car."

"M-me!?"

Maya giggled, shoving her suitcase into Phoenix's hands. "You heard her, Nick. Best listen to your mother!"

Pearl added her luggage to the mix. "Mr. Nick, you're such a gentleman!"

"Thanks Daddy!" Trucy cried, tossing her luggage onto the pile and rushing to the vehicle.

"H-hey! Mayaaaaaaa!"

December 23  
11:47 AM  
West Pavilion Mall

Apollo sighed as he placed another woman's shirt back on the rack. _Is a shirt really all I can think of?_

He had left his apartment and headed straight for one of the women's clothing stores in the mall. Having come up with no ideas for a meaningful gift to give Athena, he figured the next best thing was to find a few outfits she might like. But each shirt and jacket he looked at made him feel like a terrible boyfriend.

 _This is our first Christmas together. I owe it to her to give her something heartfelt. Something more than a shirt that I honestly don't even know if she'd like._

As he was thinking to himself, Apollo took a step away from the rack… Right into someone standing behind him. Not expecting to bump into someone, he freaked and jumped to the side… Into a tall rack of women's undergarments. He and the rack fell over. Apollo lifted himself off the ground and looked around him. He was surrounded by panties of all different kinds. And not of the magical variety either. He quickly jumped up off the floor and heard a familiar laugh behind him.

"Herr Forehead, it would seem you have stumbled upon a treasure trove of evidence."

Apollo turned around and came face to face with Klavier Gavin. "What are you doing here?"

"I could perhaps ask you the same question, ja? Ah, but you did ask first." The prosecutor said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I am once again looking for a gift for the fraulein detective. And does your being here mean that Fraulein Cykes is still without a gift?"

Apollo slumped forward, sweating. "I hate when you're right."

Apollo then began to think of something. _This guy may get on my nerves a lot. But maybe he could actually help me in this case. He probably has a lot more experience with women than me._

Reluctantly, Apollo swallowed his pride. "Hey, uh, Prosecutor Gavin."

Klavier turned away from the shirt he was looking at to look at the horned man. "Hm? What is it?"

Apollo sighed. "Uh, well… Look, it dawns on me that you might have more experience with women than I do. Do you think you might be able to help me choose something?"

Klavier didn't even try to stifle his laugh. "I am hearing things, ja? You are asking for my help?"

Apollo stood his ground. "Reluctantly, yes."

Klavier thought to himself for a moment. "Hmmm, I suppose I could lend you a hand. Und perhaps you could return the favor, ja?"

"How do you figure?"

"Herr Wright's freundin is good friends with Fraulein Skye, ja? Certainly you could ask her for some advice."

Apollo put his finger to his forehead, thinking this over, before speaking. "Well, she's out of town, but I'm sure I could text her and see what she has to say."

"Wunderbar! Let's discuss these matters over lunch, ja?" Klavier said before the two headed off to the food court.

December 23  
12:34 PM  
Wright Residence

"Nick, I don't know what you were so worried about. Your parents seem so nice. Your dad especially!" Maya said as she unpacked her suitcase.

Phoenix was looking over a few things in the room. He and Maya were sharing one guest room while Pearl and Trucy were given the other. The room was sparsely decorated. Only a few pictures hung on the wall, most of which were religious in nature, quoting the Bible. His mother was a tad bit religious, but not overly so.

"Yeah, I… Don't get it. That huggy guy at the bus station was nothing like my dad usually is." Phoenix said as he took a seat on the bed.

Maya plopped down next to him. "Well, maybe I was right and he wants to make up for being a jerk before."

"Even if that's the case, Maya, I'm not sure I can just forgive him so easily."

"Why do you say that?"

Phoenix looked down at the floor for a moment before speaking. "Do you remember why I became an attorney in the first place?"

"Maya nodded. "Of course I do. It was to help Edgeworth. What's that got to do with anything?"

"My dad… Well, I already told you how he felt about attorneys. He doesn't think much of prosecutors either. So, you can just imagine how he felt when he found out I became an attorney to help a prosecutor."

"Nick…" Maya trailed off before her phone buzzed, signaling a text message. "Hold that thought a sec."

As Maya pulled out her phone Emma suddenly called out from downstairs. "Phoenix! Sweetie, could you come down here for a moment?"

"Y-yeah, sure, be right there, mom!" He then looked back to Maya. "Hey, I'll be-"

"Nick, just go. We can talk about this later. Just go be with your family." Maya said, navigating her phone's menus.

Phoenix nodded and stood from the bed before heading downstairs.

Maya finally opened up the message she'd received, finding that it was from Apollo. Her mouth formed into a devilish grin as she read over the message.

 _Oh, Ema, you are gonna have a very interesting Christmas if I have any say in it._


	7. Gotta Catch 'em All

**A/N: Merry Christmas, guys! I'm gonna go ahead and admit that I'm a bit disappointed in myself. I wasn't able to finish this story by Christmas day. And it won'\t be done by my birthday either. Hopefully it'll be finished not long after the new year. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as my Christmas gift to you!**

 **Also, along with any reviews you may like to leave, tell me, what'd Santa Butz bring you for Christmas?**

* * *

December 23  
12:47 PM  
Sushi House

Athena entered the sushi restaurant and looked around, searching for Blackquill. She eventually found him, sitting in a booth by himself, sipping on what she could only imagine was some sort of expensive sake. She rolled her eyes and made her way to the booth.

"Isn't is a little early to be drinking, Simon?" She asked as she slid into the booth across from him.

Blackquill smirked at her and took another sip. "And how would you know this, Cykes-dono? Are you perhaps confessing to drinking underage?"

"Me? Drinking? Surely you jest… Although there was that one New Year 's Eve where you snuck me wine behind my mother's back." Athena retorted, taking up a menu.

"Hmph, I was under the impression we would never speak of that again."

"Actually, I think you were just hoping I'd forget." Athena said, glancing up from her menu for a moment, smiling. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Blackquill smirked. "I would, but those ears of yours would pick on my bluff in an instant." He said as a waiter made his way to their table.

"You know what you want?"

* * *

December 23  
12:49 PM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix made his way down the stairs, to his parents' living room. "What'd you need mom?"

"Oh, I didn't need anything, dear. I just wanted you to see something." His mother said, reaching into a box on the floor before pulling a pink ornament. "I was just putting the ornaments on the tree, and look what I found! It's the ornament you made in 3rd grade!"

Phoenix's eyes bulged as he rushed to snatch the ornament from her hands. "Mom! Don't let the girls see that thing!"

"See what, Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked, stepping out of the kitchen, mixing a bowl of sugar cookie dough.

"Ah! N-nothing, Pearls!" Phoenix said, turning towards the young girl and hiding the ornament behind his back.

Pearl gave him a quizzical before heading back into the kitchen.

Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief before someone snuck up behind him and snatched up the ornament.

"Huh? Maya!?"

Maya had snuck downstairs when she heard Phoenix trying to hide the object. Now she was staring wide-eyed at the object in her hand. "Nick, you…"

"Maya, listen, I can explain. It was third grade, everyone was into it."

"You're a Pokémon nerd!?" Maya finally blurted out. She then began to crack up. "I KNEW you had to be a geek when you were younger! What was your favorite one?"

Emma spoke up. "You're looking at it, sweetie."

"Mom!"

Maya looked at the ornament again and began laughing harder. "Jigglypuff!? HAHAHAHA!"

Indeed, the object in Maya's hand was a handmade ornament, crafted in the shape of the pink puffball from the long running series, wearing a Santa hat.

Phoenix, his face bright red, snatched the ornament from Maya and stuffed it back in the box it had come from. "It was a phase, ok, Maya? I grew out of it pretty quick."

Maya finally took a moment to catch her breath. "Nick, it's nothing to be ashamed of. What do you think I was playing on my game system on the way here?"

Phoenix covered his face with his hand. _Well, she may as well learn my dark secret now, before I pop the question._

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Pearl and Trucy were busy making cookies.

"So what'd you get Mommy and Daddy, Pearls?" Trucy asked as he she was cutting shapes out of the dough.

Pearl smiled to herself at her friend calling Maya 'Mommy.' Ever since Phoenix and Maya had gotten together, Pearl had been living on cloud nine. Not simply because her two favorite people in the world had finally found each other, but also because she and Trucy had only grown closer, to the point where they practically felt like real sisters.

"The same thing they get every year." She said.

Trucy laid the various shaped cookies on the sheet before turning to Pearl and puffing out her cheeks. "Really? Y'know you don't need to give them mistletoe to get them to kiss anymore."

"I know." Pearl said, bouncing on her heels. "But they're just so cute and happy together!"

Trucy simply smiled and rolled her eyes.

* * *

December 23  
1:23 PM  
Sushi House

"Is that so? You have yet to buy Justice-dono's gift?" Simon said before placing a piece of sushi in his mouth using his chopsticks.

"Yeah." Athena said, poking at her own sushi with her chopsticks. "I'm at my wit's end here, Simon. I love Apollo, but I can't even think of a way to show him that."

"Hmmmm," Hummed Blackquill. "That is indeed quite a conundrum."

"You're a guy, Simon. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmph, I would assume that Justice-dono and I have very different tastes in many things. Gifts being one of those things."

Athena leaned forward and laid her head on the table. "God… Some girlfriend I am."

* * *

December 23  
1:27 PM  
Mario's Pizza

"Some boyfriend I am." Apollo said, tearing a breadstick in half.

"Herr Forehead, don't beat yourself up. That is my job, ja?" Klavier said.

Apollo shot the man the stink eye. "Technically, your job is prosecuting criminals."

"And that entails, how you say, giving you the business, in many cases."

Apollo sighed. "So do you think you can help me or not?"

"All in good time, Herr Forehead. You give me what I want, and I shall return the favor."

Taking a bite out of his breadstick, Apollo thought to himself. _C'mon, Maya. I can barely handle a trial against this guy. Never mind a meal!_

As if reading his thoughts, Apollo's phone beeped, signaling a text. Apollo pulled it out and looked at the message, becoming annoyed as he did so. _Oh c'mon. I'm not trying to hook the guy up. This is purely an 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' basis._

The message read as such: Sure, I'll lend a hand. As long as you're on board with playing matchmaker for those two.

Apollo quickly typed out his reply: Whatever ends this the quickest.

Pocketing his phone, he turned back to Klavier.

"Was that perhaps from Fraulein Fey?" The German man asked.

"It was. No word on a gift idea yet, so be patient."

"I am nothing if not a patient man, Herr Forehead." Klavier said, taking a sip of his drink. "Now, you must indulge my curiosity. You and Fraulein Cykes, how did that happen? No offense, but she seems a bit… Out of your league."

 _How exactly am I not supposed to take offense to that?_ Apollo thought, grimacing. "Well, in June, Mr. Wright took us all on a vacation to Kurain village."

"The spirit medium village in the mountains, ja? I have heard of it. Fraulein Fey hails from there, does she not?"

Apollo nodded. "She does. Anyway, while we were there, I kinda admitted to myself that I had feelings for her. I guess Mr. Wright figured it out long beforehand, and talked me into telling her."

"I see. I felt there was something between you two when I met the young Fraulein at Themis last year."

Apollo chuckled. "Yeah, that's when it kinda started, I guess. So, one day, we went on a hike and Maya's younger cousin showed us this flower that had a pretty special meaning to the people of Kurain. Their legends say that if it's given to somebody as a gift, it will bind those two people's futures together. So, I gave her that flower. And I guess the rest is history."

Klavier chuckled to himself. "Herr Forehead, I had no idea you were such a romantiker. I believe even I would have fallen for you."

Apollo began to sweat drop. "Can we not open that can of worms? Sometimes, I swear I see people in the gallery holding heart shaped signs with our faces on them."

"I kid, Herr Justice. But truly, that is a very sweet story."

Apollo took a bite of his pizza, trying to do anything to keep the conversation from continuing on this topic. _C'mon, Maya. The sooner I get a reply the better!_

* * *

December 23  
1:38 PM  
Wright Residence

The Wrights and the Feys were just getting settled in for a family lunch, all the while, Hugh was telling a story to Trucy and Pearl.

"So at this point, my buddy Jerry Hutz decides it's a good idea to bring gasoline into the mix. So we've got three teenagers, a ton of firecrackers, and glass bottle filled with gasoline."

Phoenix tuned his father out. He'd heard this story so many times, he could recite it from memory. Right down to the details of the flaming wheelbarrow!

Maya gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs, getting his attention.

"Ow! What is it, Maya?" Phoenix asked.

Maya kept her voice low. "You haven't said two words to your dad since we got here."

Phoenix brought his voice back down, so as not to draw attention to the two of them. "What exactly do I say to him? At this point I'm not even sure it's actually my dad."

"Whether it's him or not, you need to talk to him. He's your dad."

Phoenix simply shook his head and turned his attention back to his meal. His mother, along with Trucy and Pearl's help, had whipped up beef Manhattan, a personal favorite of Phoenix's.

"So Phoenix," Hugh said from nowhere, catching his son off guard. "How's that law firm of yours running?"

Phoenix eyes were wide as he heard this. _Now I'm certain this can't be my dad._ Nevertheless, he answered. "It's, uh, running well. It's been a bit of a slow month."

"A bit slow?" Maya chimed in. "We haven't had a client all month!"

Everybody burst out laughing. Everyone, that is, except Phoenix, who clutched his head in his hands.

 _That's the future Mrs. Wright, Phoenix. Really let that sink in._

* * *

December 23  
2:02 PM  
Ace Guitars & Music

 _CD's. That's all I can think of to give the man I love. CD's._ Athena thought to herself. She and Blackquill had split up after lunch. Simon had plans to visit his sister in prison. He'd been able to use his pull as a prosecutor to be allowed to visit with her for longer than usual, but since the prison was very strict on holiday visits, they would be using the day to celebrate Christmas. Athena felt bad that Simon would most likely be spending Christmas day alone, but he assured her he would be fine.

Placing a classical music CD back on the rack, Athena sighed. _Apollo means so much to me. And I know I mean a lot to him._ She thought to herself, her hand unconsciously reaching for the Kurain lily hair ribbon she always wore. _I just want to give him something that shows just how much he means to me._

Turning on her heels, she made her way to the exit, gaze cast toward the floor. However, as she stepped outside, she immediately bumped into someone, causing her to tumble forward on top of the person, who immediately tossed her off of them.

"What is with people bumping int- You again!? Can't you watch where you're going, Red?"

Athena composed herself and moved into a sitting position before finding herself face to face with Ema Skye.

"Y'know, I have a name." Athena said.

"Whatever you say, Red." Ema said, pulling herself off the ground.

Athena scowled at the woman and pulled herself off the ground before speaking again. "So what brings you here?" She asked before putting on a devilish grin. "Still looking for a certain German's gi- Ow!" She cried as she was struck with a chocolatey projectile.

Ema continued to glare at the woman. "Finish that sentence and there'll be more where that came from."

Athena rubbed her forehead, _Damn, she has an arm on her. And dead-on aim._

"Not that it matters, but I AM here looking for a gift for the fop. Not easy buying something for a guy who can literally buy whatever he wants."

"And so you came to a music store? You don't seem to understand what musicians do for a living."

Ema stopped herself as she reached for the door. "That's…. A good point actually."

"If I might make a suggestion, you seem to be focusing too much on his career in choosing a gift. Maybe think a bit more about his life. He's from Germany. Maybe get him something that reminds him of home."

 _Damn, she kinda has a point. I haven't exactly been approaching this scientifically._ "Ok, I see your point, Red. That's actually good advice." She turned her heels and began to walk away.

Athena called out. "Don't suppose you have any suggestions for a gift for Apollo?"

"At this point?" Ema said, still walking away. "I'd suggest wishing on a star."

The redheaded attorney sighed. _Yeah, yeah, wish upon a star to be a bett- Wait, wish upon… A star?_


	8. Blast from the Past

**A/N: Sorry for the dleayed update, guys! I've been so preoccupied playing all the games I bought over Christmas that I couldn't concetrate long enough to work on my stories. Rest assured, I haven't abandoned you, my dear readers! I still love posting these stories and I still love hearing from you all with wonderful feedback!**

 **Shoutputs to the lovely reviewers from chapter 7:**

 **Skillet28561: True enough. Last thing ANY of us need is another Matt Engarde!**

 **Melody Rose Gold: I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! I try really hard to at least make the characters feel like themselves and not get to out of character. And a Merry belated Christmas to you!**

 **Multifangirl6: Truth be told, the chapter title was something i just came up with last minute because I couldn't think of anything else. It still shocks me that I have fans who enjoy ALL of my work. I don't believe I'm all that talented at all, so it's great to have people who actually keep up with everything I write.**

* * *

 **Hold it!**

"So, you're saying that you saw my client attack the victim with a knife?" Asked the attorney at the bench.

"What, you got something in your ears, ya mook? Been saying that for a while now."

Hugh Wright stood at his usual position by the prosecutor's bench. He already knew where this was going. Every person in the courtroom knew that the victim's cause of death was from a gunshot. Hugh wasn't the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but even he could point out an obvious contradiction.

 **Objection!**

Hugh rolled his eyes at the high pitched voice next to him. Cryden Payne was the joke of the entire Prosecutor's office. In the man's entire career, he'd only managed to win a very small handful of trials.

"Mr. Fender, what are you getting at?"Cryden asked. "Are you insinuating that the witness did not see the victim being stabbed? Where is your evidence!?"

At the defense's bench, Biff Fender smirked at his opponent. "You want evidence, I'll show you evidence!"

 **Take that!**

In an instant, Hugh felt an incredible pain in his chest and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. He had no idea what had just happened. Fender had presented something, and then… A gunshot? Hugh struggled to look at the defense attorney. His vision was blurring, but he could just make out the shape of a gun in the man's hand. He pulled his hand from his chest and looked at it. It was covered in blood. It was becoming hard to breath and the pain in his chest was becoming worse. The people in the courtroom were beginning to panic as Hugh looked at the defense attorney again, this time at his face.

Fender's hair hung over his face, one of his eyes staring at Hugh, glowing bright red. A demonic smile crept over his face as he pointed the gun at the bailiff's face. And spoke with a bone chilling voice.

"It's time to pay for your crimes… Take THIS."

 **BANG!**

* * *

December 24  
12:23 AM  
Wright Residence

"Ah!" Hugh cried out as he awoke.

"Hugh? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Emma asked from beside him, clicking on a bedside lamp.

Hugh sucked in a few deep breaths. "I-it's… That damn dream again." He said as he placed his feet on the ground and headed for the bathroom attached to the room.

"Oh, your nightmare is back?" Emma asked as she followed closely behind him.

Hugh splashed a few handfuls of water on his face from the faucet, letting the cool water run down his face for a moment. "Yes…. Damn it, I thought I was over this."

"Do you think maybe it's because Phoenix is here? After all, it can't be easy being around him after everything."

Hugh looked at himself in the mirror. He looked tried. He hadn't been sleeping well as of late. The nightmare had been happening for some time, yet he usually managed to hide it from his wife. "I don't want to think that Phoenix has anything to do with it." He said, heading back into the bedroom and taking a seat on the bed. "The boy's done nothing wrong. I don't care that he's an attorney anymore. After everything that happened last year…" He couldn't finish his sentence as he remembered the events of the year before. "I need to really clear the air with him. I'm no idiot, Emma. He thinks there's something up with the way I've been acting since they've been here."

"I got that impression too. I also get the feeling that he didn't exactly come here of his own volition. That Maya, she seems to be his conscience, in a way. I bet she talked him into coming home."

Hugh chuckled slightly. "Can ya blame the boy? Thinking back on how I treated him over the years, all because of a damn job… I've never really been a father to him. "

Emma took a seat next to her husband and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Then maybe you should try to get some alone time with him. Tell him how much he means to you. Tell him you're ready to be the father you never were."

Hugh began to get settled back into bed. "You're right, dear. You're right."

Emma followed suit, sliding underneath the blanket. "I know I'm Wright, you made me one!"

Her husband chuckled as she clicked off the light. "Aren't I supposed to be making the terrible jokes?"

* * *

December 23  
7:09 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

The elevator opened up to reveal the living room of the rockstar prosecutor's expensive penthouse suite. Klavier himself stepped out of the elevator and headed for his kitchen attached to the living room, setting several bags that he was carrying on the countertop.

 _I think Herr Forehead's idea may be onto something, but…._ He looked over at his stove, it's polished surface reflecting his face back at him, showing it's minimal use. _The last time I tried to cook something, the fire department became involved… And I was making macaroni and cheese!_

He thought back to what Maya had suggested he do for his subordinate for Christmas.

* * *

 _Apollo's phone buzzed again, signaling a message. The red clad man reached for it with nearly blinding speed, causing Klavier to chuckle._

 _Apollo quickly read over the message, arching an eyebrow as he did so._

" _So, what is the final word, Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked._

" _Uh, well, she says that she'd probably like a new lab coat. And…"_

" _And?" Klavier asked, arching an eyebrow._

" _Well… Are you any good at cooking?" Apollo asked._

 _Klavier looked quizzically at the man. "Not exactly, why do you ask?"_

* * *

Klavier understood now, however he still couldn't believe what that crazy Fey woman had suggested.

"Homemade Snackoos…" he said to himself as he looked over the ingredients he had purchased. He still couldn't believe what he was about to attempt. Normally, he would have asked Olga, his maid, to take care of the cooking, however, she was currently in Germany, visiting family for Christmas, leaving the task of preparing the chocolatey snacks to himself.

Just then a cat began rubbing against the German man's leg. He glanced to down to see his young kitten meowing at him, obviously hungry.

"Oh, hello Schrodinger. I don't suppose you could cook these snacks for Papa?" He said to the kitten with smokey grey fur.

Schrodinger simply meowed in response. Klavier chuckled and began to walk to the pantry where he kept the cat food.

Before he could grab the bag of food, he heard the loud crash of something hitting the floor. He turned around immediately to see Schrodinger on top of the end table by the couch in the living room.

"Ach! Schrodinger, bad cat! Down!" he cried, rushing over to the table. Schrodinger leapt from the table and scampered away. Klavier knelt down to examine what had fallen. It was a small picture. As he turned over the picture to see what it was, be immediately regretted it.

"Why do I even still have this?"

The picture he held in his hands only dredged up bad memories. It was a photo he'd taken directly after graduating law school. It showed himself, guitar in hand and garbed in a graduation gown, standing with his brother, Kristoph. Kristoph had his usual look of cool collectedness, his arm crossed in front of him, even as Klavier had an arm draped around his shoulders, holding his guitar in the like some sort of trophy.

Looking at the photo, Klavier couldn't help but remember the last time he'd seen his brother.

* * *

October 9, 2026  
2:14 PM  
Courtroom No. 3

"By unanimous vote, the jury finds the defendant, Vera Misham…"

 **NOT GUILTY**

Instead of the usual deafening cheers that Klavier had become accustomed to hearing when Apollo won a trial, his ears were instead met with laughter. A bone-chilling, cacophonous laugh that echoed through the halls of justice. A laugh Klavier would never forget.

On the witness stand, Kristoph Gavin had his hand to his face as he laughed hysterically. Whether he had gone completely mad or actually found his defeat funny in some way was uncertain. All that was certain was that he was a murderer. An evil man who had killed two people very nearly three. Perhaps more.

Kristoph was led out of the courtroom as the Judge finally called an end to the trial. Klavier quickly chased after the bailiffs who were escorting his brother back to his cell.

"Bailiff! Bailiff, wait! Wait just a moment!" Klavier cried out. The bailiffs turned to face the German man questioningly. "I know it's against protocol, but I was wondering if I could speak to my brother for just a moment."

Klavier and the bailiffs talked back and forth for a moment as Kristoph occupied himself with attempting to fix his disheveled hair. He managed to smooth it somewhat before Klavier stepped in front of him. "Bruder, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The older man asked.

"You know very well why I'm here, Kristoph." Klavier said matter-of-factly. "I must know, why? Why would you do all this?"

Kristoph stifled a laugh. "Why? That's all you have to ask, dear bruder? The answer should be quiet clear."

Klavier was afraid he'd say something like that. "So that's it. You planned to used forged evidence, even against me, seven years ago for nothing but fame. You destroyed Herr Wright's life, used me as a pawn, murdered two people, nearly three, one of whom was a little girl at the time of your planning her murder, all so you could keep your standing as 'The Coolest Defense in the West.'"

Kristoph snapped at this. "I told you never to call me that!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot how that nickname touches a nerve." Klavier said sarcastically. He then got back to the point. "Now tell me, what am I supposed to tell our family? How do I tell them what a monster their son is?"

Kristoph turned away from his brother. "Tell them the truth, Klavier. Simply tell them that their favorite child is not as perfect as they believed." He then turned to the bailiffs. "Now, gentlemen, I would much appreciate being returned to my cell. I'm expecting a letter from my correspondence chess opponent sometime today."

The bailiffs nodded and took hold of the man's arms, leading him down the hall. Just before they were out of sight, Kristoph called back to his brother. "Do come visit sometime, bruder. We can talk over a cup of tea."

Klavier simply stood there, at a complete loss for words. The brother whom he'd always looked up to, who had turned onto both the legal AND musical path, who was one of his only relatives, was a cold blooded killer with no remorse.

Seeing no reason to linger, Klavier turned around and headed for the exit of the courthouse. Along the way, he saw Apollo and Trucy celebrating their victory with Phoenix. Trucy noticed him and waved at him.

Klavier pretended not to notice and walked out of the courthouse.

* * *

December 23  
7:16 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

Continuing to stare at the photo, Klavier could feel something boiling up. Anger. The normally calm and collected man stood up from his kneeling position on the floor and gripped the picture frame tight before sending it flying across the room, crashing into the wall near his wall mounted widescreen TV and sending shards of glass onto the floor.

Klavier stared at the wall where the picture had collided with it before he cast his gaze downward and noticed something among the glass at his feet. Drops of blood were mixing with the glass. He looked at his hand to notice that the glass of the picture frame had left a large gash on it. The crimson liquid was now dripping and staining his jacket and his rug as he stood there for a moment, simply examining the wound. It wasn't until Schrodinger reappeared, rubbing against his leg and meowing that he pulled himself back to reality and headed for the bathroom. Turning on the sink faucet and soaking a rag with alcohol, he cleaned up the wound before wrapping it in gauze.


	9. Preparations

**A/N: Man, I'm really falling behind on my posting schedule. Anywhore, this'll hopefully be the last chapter for a while that doesn't focus on the family this story is named after. I kinda hate that I've let this story stretch so far into 2016. I wanna shoot for having it done by Valentine's day, because by then, this story will be all but irrelevant to the time of the year. I sure hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as I definitely had fun typing it. Also, quick shoutout to JordanPhoenix, who gave me the idea for Athena's gift to Apollo some time ago.**

 **Shooutouts to the reviewers from the last chapter:**

 **JordanPhoenix: Hey, Nick had to get it from somewhere, right? I've always felt that Klav gets overlooked as one of the tragic characters of the series. Used as a pawn by his brother and had to watch both his friend and brother get hauled away for murder. I don't care how happy-go-lucky they make him seem. Watching something like that happen in the span of one year would be devastating to anyone.**

 **Jaredjiro: It was indeed! You had give Fender something iconic to say, but saying "Take that, bitch!" Just seemed a bit too ghetto.**

 **Skillet28561: I'm usually not so blunt with answers, but, no. I would never curse anyone to be related to that freaky Joker wannabe!**

* * *

December 23  
7:08 PM  
Apollo Justice's Apartment

Apollo stepped into his living room, having finally arrived home after purchasing Athena's gift. Sitting on his sofa, Icarus bounded into the room and seated himself next to him. The horned lawyer smiled and patted his furry friend on the head. "How's it going, buddy?" Icarus barked excitedly in reply, causing Apollo to chuckle and reach into his pocket. "Hey, tell me what you think of the gift I bought for Athena." he pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it to the dog. "Think she'll like it?" The dog responded by tilting its head to the side. Apollo then pocketed the item again and leaned back in the sofa, looking at the ceiling. "I really hope she does." He said, thinking back to the German prosecutor's advice.

 _Pocketing his phone, Apollo got straight to the point. "Alright, you got what you wanted, now tell me what I wanna know."_

 _Klavier chuckled as he sipped his drink. "Straight to the point, eh, Herr Forehead? Very well, I shall you give you my two cents" He said as he set his drink down and folded his hands together. "The story you told me earlier, how the two of you became an item, I think you could buy her a hair ribbon or a bracelet with that flow-"_

" _Already did it." Apollo said bluntly._

 _Klavier stopped himself. "You… Already did that?"_

" _Yeah," Apollo said as he took a sip of his drink. "A few months ago, not long after we got together, I kinda… Got hit by a car. Got amnesia because of it. I won't go into too much detail, but I did something stupid when I didn't have my memories. I bought her a hair ribbon with a replica of that flower on it to apologize."_

" _Imagine that, you did something stupid." Klavier joked._

" _Look, Gavin, if you're not gonna help me, I really need to-" Apollo started as he began to stand up._

" _Nein, nein, I kid, Herr Justice. I have another piece of advice, if you're willing to listen."_

 _Apollo slid back into his seat and looked at the prosecutor. "I'm all ears."_

" _Well, as you've already used up your best option, I'll tell you something I think about Fraulein Cykes. She strikes me as one who prefers actions over material objects."_

 _Apollo quirked an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"_

" _I mean… The hair ribbon you gave her, I'm certain she loved it. But I am also certain she loved it more for the act of giving it to her. It showed her that you cared and that you consider that flower symbolic of your relationship with her." Klavier downed the rest of his soda. "Perhaps buy her something symbolic. Or, if you still cannot think of something, perhaps a small gift would do, and then you could focus on making Christmas a great day. Huddle up on the couch in your shared living room. Drink hot chocolate. Make candy and watch old, overrated Christmas specials." Klavier stood from his chair. "And that… Is all the advice I have Herr Forehead. I certainly hope it was helpful." He began to head for the exit of the restaurant._

" _Wait, Prosecutor Gavin!" Apollo cried out, but the German man was already gone. Apollo sighed. "Athena and I don't live together." He said under his breath as he looked at the floor. His eyes then widened in realization and he looked at his watch. He quickly rushed out the door and headed directly to the nearby home improvement store._

Apollo reached back into his pocket and pulled out the small box, opening it again to look inside himself. He smiled to himself as he looked over the small orange and black tiger striped key. _I know she'll love the sentiment behind it. The only thing I don't know is if she'll say yes._

Just then, Apollo's phone began to ring. He instantly recognized it as the ringtone Athena had assigned to herself when she'd been messing with his phone one day. He picked up immediately.

"Hey Tiger."

* * *

December 23  
6:57 PM  
Athena Cykes' Apartment

Athena clacked away at the keys on her laptop with blinding speed, quickly filling the information requested. She clicked submit and continued on to the print screen. She brought up her printer menu and clicked for the two pages to be printed off. Kicking away from her desk and sliding over to her wireless printer, she waited eagerly for the two pages to come out. As soon as the two sheets of paper were spit out, Athena snatched them up excitedly.

A wide smile on her face, she looked over the papers. _He's gonna love this so much. I just know it. Definitely wish I'd come up with this earlier, so I could give him the actual certificate. But, this should tide him over while I wait on that to be delivered._

Athena looked over the certificate and the star chart she'd printed off before tossing on a jacket and stepping outside and looking up at the sky. She shivered as a cold wind blew, but continued to study the sky along with the star chart.

 _It should be visible tonight._ She thought. _Let's see… If this constellation is here, and I'm looking in this direction, then… Aha! There it is!_

A wide grin spread across the girl's face as she finally found what she was looking for. A star that was now known as Apollo Justice.

 _It's only fitting. Clay's up there now, after Mr. Starbuck spread his ashes. At least now he has his best friend up there with him to keep him company._

Athena shivered again and pulled her jacket tighter around herself as another icy wind blew across the parking lot. She quickly rushed back into her small apartment, heading for the kitchen to begin making some hot chocolate. The redhead was never one to simply use the store bought packets for hot chocolate. She quickly gathered her ingredients and began to mix them together, starting by adding the baking chocolate to a bowl of sugar, then pouring that into a pot of boiling water. As she began to stir the mixture, she pulled out her cell phone, dialing Apollo's number.

There were three rings before Apollo's voice reached her ears. "Hey Tiger."

Athena smiled to herself, still loving each time he called her that. "Hey Apollo. How's it going?" She asked as she continued to stir her chocolatey concoction.

"Oh, it's going good. Just got home a little while ago." Apollo replied.

"Just got home? Where were you today? I figured you'd spend your day off lazing around at home."

Apollo laughed on the other end. "You don't know me at all. I'm all business."

"Oh, and what business did you need to attend to today, Mr. Justice?"

"Oh, uh, nothing important. I, uh, had lunch with Prosecutor Gavin." Apollo replied.

 _Huh, that's weird, why did he sound nervous as he said that?_ Athena questioned as she began to pour milk into a pot. "Oh? And how'd that go?"

"Well, about as well as you'd expect. He kinda enlisted me and Maya to help him choose a gift for Ema."

"Really? And what'd you tell him in the end?" Athena inquired, placing the pot of milk on the stovetop.

There was a pause on the other end for a moment before Apollo replied. "Maya had me tell him to get her a new labcoat and make homemade Snackoos."

"Aw! That's adorable!" Athena exclaimed.

"I… Don't see what the big deal is. It's just two things I've never seen her without." Apollo said.

It was now Athena's turn to go silent before sighing as she began to mix her ingredients together. "You really are clueless, y'know that?"

"Hey! How am I clueless in this case? What am I missing here!?"

"You're missing that those two totally have a thing for each other!"

"What!? Are you nuts? Those two can barely stand to be in the same room together."

"Oh, really? Then why are they spending Christmas eve together?" Athena asked knowingly.

"Because neither of them wants to be alone for the holiday!" Apollo retorted.

Athena let out a sigh. "Surely you don't actually buy that, right?"

"What's not to buy about it?" Apollo asked.

Athena simply sighed, rolling her eyes. I _'m dating the most clueless man on the planet!_

* * *

December 23  
7:45 PM  
Ema Skye's Apartment

Ema sat with her sister on the sofa, absent-mindedly flipping through channels as she sipped on a cup of hot chocolate.

"So, what time will Mr. Gavin be over tomorrow?" Lana asked mischievously.

"Ugh," groaned Ema. "Are we really back onto this? I told him 7 o'clock."

Lana giggled at her sister. "What, is it wrong of me to be curious about my little sister's date with the rockstar?"

"It is not a date!" Ema cried. "I felt bad for the guy since his family abandoned him." She explained as she turned to face her sister.

"And yet you rushed all over the city for two days trying to find him a gift." Lana retorted. "Face it, sis, you've got it bad for the fop."

"Ugh!" Ema groaned again as she leaned back in the sofa. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Red. I'll admit I… Kinda like the fop. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna go after him like one of his fangirls."

"Ema, really. What's wrong with admitting all this to him? What's worst that could happen?"

"Well, scientifically speaking, the worst that could happen is that he feels the same!"

Lana quirked an eyebrow at her sister. "I'm… Not sure I follow. Care to explain?" Ema opened her mouth to reply before Lana quickly cut her off. "And leave out the science mumbo jumbo."

Ema pouted for a second before speaking. "Alright, let's say he feels the same and he and I go out on a date or something." She said, her cheeks turning red. Lana nodded, egging her to go on. "And let's say, we actually kinda hit it off and decide to be exclusive."

"Alright, I still don't see the problem." Lana replied.

"Well really think about who he is, sis. If something was going on between us, I'd be dating my superior. Do you have any idea how that would look to the guys at the precinct? Not to mention Mr. Edgeworth." Ema tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling. "Not to mention, he's a former rockstar who's still in tabloids and on those stupid celebrity gossip shows. How do you think they'll react if they start seeing him going out to dinner with his subordinate? I get enough attention at the precinct for carrying a Bunsen burner with to every crime scene. The last thing I need is to have my face plastered on the front page of the tabloids with the headline 'Rockstar Prosecutor spotted with Science Nut Detective!"

"Personally, I think they'd be a little more creative than that. Maybe more like… 'Chemistry Erupts between-" Lana cut herself off as she noticed Ema giving her a death glare. "Er, alright, I get it. Let's uh, talk about something else."

"Gladly." Ema replied, not taking her eyes off her sister.

"So, what did you finally end up getting him for Christmas?"

"That's hardly something else, sis." Ema retorted.

"Oh, c'mon, I'm just curious. If you'd prefer, we could go back to discussing headlines." Lana said with a mischievous grin.

Ema sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine" She said before standing and walk to her bedroom to retrieve the gift. When she returned, she had a small box in her hands and pulled it open before sitting down next to Lana. "Here, take a look."

Lana took the box from her sister and look in it. Inside was a small pocket watch necklace. It had the German national flag emblazoned on the front. Pulling the small watch out of the box and opened it to look inside.

"Hey, wait!" Ema cried, trying to stop her sister. But it was too late.

"Ema, this…." Lana said as she looked at the inside of the watch. On one side was the expected clock face. Parts of it were cut away, revealing all the intricate machinery on the inside. The other side, however, was a shock. Placed inside the cover of the watch was a small photo. It depicted Ema and Klavier, for once smiling in each other's presence. Ema had her trademark pink glasses over her eyes and was flashing a thumbs up at the camera. Klavier had his hand in his pockets, while a pair of dark sunglasses sat upon his head.

"It was our first investigation together." Ema said, snatching the watch away and stuffing it back in the gift box. "He and Detective Gumshoe both insisted we take a picture together to commemorate it. It was before I realized what a fop he was."

"Ema, that's a very sweet gift." Lana said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm certain he'll love it."

Ema simply shook her head. "Please, he'll take one look at it and say thanks, then never look at it again. He can afford much better jewelry. And that thing actually cost me a pretty penny."

Lana sighed. "Sis, it's not about the cost of the gift. I'm certain he'll love the thought behind it." She then smiled at her younger sister. "Trust me, you may be surprised by how he reacts to that."

"You really think so, sis?" Ema asked.

"I know so." Lana said before standing and sliding her purse onto her shoulder. "Now, I really need to get going. Jake and I need to finish packing for our trip to Paris."

Ema laughed. "You mean Texas?"

"PARIS, Texas." Lana corrected. She then leaned down and hugged her sister. "Try to enjoy yourself tomorrow, Ema."

"I'll try to, sis." Ema replied. The two then separated and Lana headed out the door. Ema sighed and leaned back in the sofa. "I'll try. But I make no promises."


	10. The Truce Awakens

**A/N: AH! After ten thousand years I'm free! It's time to post a new chapter! No, but seriously, it feels like an eternity since I last left you guys a new chapter. Lately, I feel llike I really put the 'pro' in procrastination! But hey, who can blame me, having just picked up SO many great games? I'm really gonna try to crack down and get some work done on this story so I can get it finished by valentine's day. I do sorta hat ethat I'll be finishing this one before Ace Mommy, which takes place before this story, but I was truly hoping when I started on this story that it would just be updated through December, so at this point I just wanna put my holiday story to rest as quick as I can. Hopefully my cracking down won't mess with the quality of the coming chapters.**

 **Quick shoutouts to the reviewers from last chapter:**

 **Skillet28561: Well, I really wasn't trying to hide what they got for each other. Truth be told, I don't think I could withhold the information even if I wanted to. I'm terrible at keeping secrets!**

 **JordanPhoenix: How can anyone hate the Greek God couple? I love that he gave her a nickname too, it makes shipping the two of them so easy! Ugh, Junie is such a bland character, I wouldn't wish a relationship with her on my worst enemy! I also have a blast writing the Skye sisters. Since we only saw a brief glimpse of Lana's true self in-game, it really leaves alot of room for a writer to work with.**

 **thepudz: Thanks so much for the glowing review! Me work at Capcom? Pffft, nah. I'm pretty sure to work there you have to sell your soul to M. Bison, and I'm just not ready for that. I'm really glad that you think I pull of those two pairings well. They're two of my favorite ships as well, and I really wanted to, no pun intended, do them justice.**

 **Now, let's move things right along and get on with chapter 10!**

* * *

December 24  
7:14 AM  
Wright Residence

Maya pulled herself awake and began stretching. She glanced next to her to see Phoenix fast asleep, his face buried in the pillow, but not a spike out of place. Geez, Nick, I'll never understand how the hell your hair works.

Yawning, she suddenly became aware of how dry her throat was. She decided to head downstairs and get a glass of water. Climbing out of bed, she put on her slippers and headed down to the kitchen. However, when she got there, she was rather surprised by what she saw.

Despite the early hour, Emma was wide awake and hard at work making breakfast. "Mrs. Wright?" Maya called out to get the woman's attention.

"Hm?" Emma spun around to face the woman. "Oh, Maya! Good morning! You're up early. And I told you to call me Emma, dear."

Maya giggled. "Right, sorry. Also, I'M up early? How long have you been down here?" Maya asked as he headed for the cupboard for a glass.

"Oh, I've been down here for nearly an hour, I'd say. What brings you down so early?"

Maya turned on the sink and filled her glass. "I just needed some water. But, since you're down here busy, maybe I could give you a hand with breakfast."

"Oh no, I won't hear of it, dear!" Emma said as she slid a few strips of bacon onto a plate.

Maya gulped down her water before speaking again. "Please, I insist. I won't be getting back to sleep anyway with Nick snoring away up there. Besides, it'd be a great chance for us to have some girl talk."

Emma let out a chuckle. "Oh, alright dear. If you would, please start on the pancakes. Everything is in that cupboard." The woman said, pointing at the cupboard nearest the fridge.

Maya beamed and headed over to gather the ingredients. "So, did Nick ever tell you about the time we went to London?"

* * *

Phoenix awoke nearly an hour later and leaned up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. _Man, give mom some credit. She treats her guests well with a mattress this comfy._ He then glanced at the spot where Maya had slept next to him, only to find that she was absent. _I have a bad feeling about this._

The man quickly put on rushed downstairs and to the kitchen and was greeted with the sight of his mother and girlfriend, sitting at the table laughing, a mug of a coffee in hand.

"Hahaha! Really? He used his shoe as evidence?" Emma asked, laughing all the while.

"And that's not the half of it! They couldn't give it back, since it was evidence, so he had to go buy a new pair of shoes right after the trial!" Maya explained. Both women burst into a fit of laughter before noticing Phoenix standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey Nick! We were just talking about you!"

"Uh, yeah, so I noticed. Nothing bad, I hope." Phoenix said, walking over to the coffee pot.

"Oh, please, Nick. What could I possibly have bad to say about you? Well, y'know maybe about how you snore or-"

"Ok, I get it Maya!" Phoenix cried, gathering a stack of pancakes onto his plate. "I'm glad to see you two getting along, either way."

Maya pulled her mug of coffee from her mouth. "Of course we are! Nick, how come you never told me how awesome your mom was? I swear, if I swung that way, I'd marry this woman!"

Emma chuckled beside her. "Oh, Maya dear, you're such a kidder!"

Phoenix chuckled softly to himself. _Well, I suppose it's good that the idea of marrying a Wright has crossed your mind._

The three continued to chat as they enjoyed their breakfast, Emma badgering her son as to why he'd never told her about meeting the famous puzzle solving professor. Or even mentioning his trip to London at all.

"Hey, to be fair, would you really have believed me if I told you I spent my time in Europe participating in witch trials?"

Everyone got a hearty laugh out of this, but abruptly stopped when they turned to look at the doorway, noting Hugh entering the kitchen. The older man looked over the three with a blank expression before a wide grin spread across his face. "Witch trials? Now I've heard everything!" He cried as he made his way over to the coffee pot.

Phoenix turned his attention back to his breakfast, still unsure of how to speak around his father, afraid any comment about the legal system, even the legal system of a hypnotized town that believed in magic, would set him off.

Setting his mug and plate down on the table, Hugh spoke again. "Where're Trucy and Pearls?" He said, Phoenix noting that he'd adopted the same nickname for Pearl as himself.

"Oh," Maya said, "They're probably still asleep. Pearly's a surprisingly heavy sleeper and I've found that Truce is anything BUT a morning person."

"Ah, well that just won't do. It's Christmas Eve!" Hugh said, standing from his chair and walking over to the sink and filling two glasses of water. "I'm gonna go give those two a surprise awakening." With that, he headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the guest room.

Phoenix's eyes grew wide as his dad said this. _I may not be on the best terms with the guy, but I don't wanna see him die!_ Phoenix stood from his chair, Maya following suit. "Dad!" he cried out just as Maya cried "Mr. Wright!"

* * *

December 24  
9:23 AM  
Apollo Justice's Apartment

Apollo was rudely awoken as a loud noise began blasting in his room

"AH!" He cried, bolting upright as his ears rung. He covered them and began to search out the source of the sound. His gaze eventually fell on a the culprit; an air horn that had had duct tape wrapped around it, holding the top down so that it would not stop blaring He quickly snatched up the object and undid the tape job, silencing the object. _I have a sinking feeling I know who's behind this._ He stood from his bed and made his way over to his bedroom door, opening it quickly.

He was not surprised in the slightest by what he found.

Athena stood in front of him, a wide grin plastered across her face. "Morning Apollo. Sleep well?"

Apollo gave her a look of annoyance. "Oh yeah, up until someone tossed a grenade into my room. Aren't I usually the one who has to wake you up?"

"Hey, it's Christmas Eve, why wouldn't I be up early?"

Before Apollo could reply, a knock was heard as his front door. He glared at Athena. "That's probably the neighbor here to tell me to keep quiet after your little stunt."

Athena merely stuck her tongue out at the man. "Well go talk to them and then come get some breakfast." With that, the girl retreated to the kitchen.

Apollo sighed and made his way to the front door. _I can't even trust her with the spare key, and I'm about to ask her to move in with me? I must be out of my mind._ He made it to the door and pulled it open quickly. "Hey, I'm sorry if- Ah!" The man cried as he suddenly felt himself being pelted with what felt like a thousand tiny pellets.

"Keep it down, ya whippersnapper! Some of us are trying to sleep!" Cried a voice.

Apollo shifted his gaze slightly downward and found himself looking at Victor Kudo, his next door neighbor, who was currently tossing handfuls of bird seeds at him. _Ever since the Peppa Cinni's trial, it seems like I see this guy way more often. And every time, I get a face full of seeds._ Kudo finally halted his onslaught and was glaring at Apollo. Apollo finally spoke up. "Uh, sorry about that Mr. Kudo. My girlfriend let herself in and gave me a bit of a rude awakening."

"Kah!" Kudo cried, rubbing his large nose. "Like I care! You young'uns just keep it down, ya hear me!" He cried before flinging one last handful of seeds at the attorney and storming off.

Apollo shut the door and let out a sigh. _That girl is more trouble than she's worth._ He thought as he made his way to the kitchen. As he stepped into the room, Athena immediately placed a hand on his shoulder and placed a kiss on his cheek as she handed him a cup of coffee. "Sorry I got you yelled at." She said.

Apollo glanced at the girl for a moment, then looked at the cup of coffee in his hand before he smiled and took a sip of the hot liquid. _She's a pain in the butt. But she's_ my _pain in the butt._

* * *

December 24  
9:47 AM  
Wright Residence

Emma reentered the living room, a bag of ice in hand, and handed it to her husband, who placed it on his slightly swollen eye as he sat in his recliner. "Thanks, sweetie." He said.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry I hit you. I just didn't expect to be woken up like that." Trucy said, her hand to her chest and her gaze cast downward.

Hugh simply laughed at this. "Don't fret over it, Truce. Can't help but feel a little pride, honestly. That's a mean right hook you got!"

This made Trucy smile softly. "Grandpa, you're so silly."

Hugh then turned his attention to Pearl. "And that was quite the kick from you, Pearls. Gonna feel that for a while."

Pearl kept her gaze on the floor. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Hugh. I hope you'll be alright."

Hugh let out a hearty laugh. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I've survived worse than a kick to the chest."

Hugh and the girl continued to talk and laugh as Phoenix and Maya observed from across the room.

"I think I'm starting to see where you get your apparent invincibility, Nick. Not a lot of people can stay conscious after a kick from Pearly." Maya said.

"I can imagine. That girl can slap with the best of them. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of her kicks. Where'd she pick up skills like that?"

Maya laughed. "Where do you think? On the streets of Neo Olde Tokyo!"

Phoenix rolled his eyes and looked back towards his father, who laughing heartily as he ruffled the girls' hair, both teenagers smiling ear to ear, a rare sight from the both of them at this early hour. Phoenix smiled to himself as he watched this. _I may not know what caused his change of heart toward me, but I can't stay mad at him if he can laugh with my little girl after she gave him a black eye._

"Yo, earth to Nick!" Maya cried, waving her hand in front of his face, snapping Phoenix back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Maya. Kinda spaced out for a second. What were you saying?"

Maya puffed out her cheeks and glared at her boyfriend. "Are you starting to lose your hearing too, old man? I was trying to tell you that your mom asked me to go into town with her later and buy a few last minute things for Christmas dinner."

"Oh? Is that all?" Phoenix asked.

"No, that's not all! We're also going to take Truce and Pearly with us."

Phoenix finally began to understand the meaning of her words and his eyes shifted back over to his father.

"I see you're getting it now. We're leaving the two of you here alone, and you're gonna sort things out with your father!"


	11. Cloudy with a Chance of Irony

**A/N: Whew, I really had to push myself to crank this one out, but I'm so glad to have it done. Next chapter, Nick and Hugh finally have the talk that's been long overdue. I'm gonna shoot to have the next chapter finished by the end of the week, so look forward to it!**

 **Quick shoutouts to the reviewers from last chapter**

 **thepudz: One of your favorites! Wow, that honestly means alot! Thanks! Also, I have read the stories you've done so far, though for some reason the site is keeping me from reviewing all of them. I think you do some great work and I can't wait to see you crank out some more awesome work!**

 **Multifangirl6: Writing Apollo and Athena is honestly one of my favorite things in these stories. They're courtship that I did in Vacation in Kurain is actually one my favorite things that I've written. Unfortunately, Nick and Hugh's talk won't be until next chapter, but I'll be sure not to leave you waiting for too long!**

 **Skillet28561: Well, hoping is all we can do, isn't it? ;)**

 **JordanPhoenix: Hey, I may not know personally, but I've seen that I nice rack can get a woman pretty far in life! I just refuse to believe that two little gumdrops aren't secret kung fu masters! And Maya just wouldn't be Maya without a little TMI, would she?**

 **Melody Rose Gold: Truth be told, I was snickering the whole time I was writing that scene. And I couldn't resist reminding my regular readers of Apollo's crazy neighbor! And I'm so glad someone caught the Star Wars reference!**

 **One last thing, the movie quotes in this chapter are from these movies in this order: Star Wars Episode 5, Judge Dredd (1995), The Princess Bride, and A Few Good Men**

* * *

December 24  
10:32 AM  
Apollo Justice's Apartment

Apollo gulped down the last of his coffee and looked across the table at Athena. "So, you still haven't told me why you felt the need to break in and wake me up."

"Well obviously it's because we have a busy day ahead of us!" Athena cried, popping a forkful of French toast in her mouth.

"We do?" Apollo questioned, unsure of what the woman was getting at.

"Of course we do! We gotta go visit everybody and deliver their gifts!" The girl finally explained.

This caused Apollo to roll his eyes. "Alright, I can understand that. But why did you need to lob an air horn into my room?"

Athena stood from her seat and began to collect the dishes from the table, taking them to the sink. "Oh, I didn't need to. I just thought it'd be funny. And it was."

Apollo merely sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're lucky I love you. No other guy would put up with this."

Athena walked up behind her boyfriend and gave him a hug, resting her chin on top of his head. "I know. And I love you too." She then placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now go get dressed! We gotta get moving!"

* * *

December 24  
11:47 AM  
Wright Residence

"Maya, please don't leave me here with him." Phoenix begged his girlfriend. The two were back in their guest room, Maya getting changed to leave with Emma and the girls to finish the shopping for Christmas dinner.

"Nick, you're acting like a child!" Maya said as she tightened the sash of her acolyte robe. "You and your dad will never be able to get along if you don't talk to him about what pushed you apart. I don't need Athena's psychology degree to tell you that!"

"But I'm not ready to talk to him about it!" Phoenix cried, standing from his seated position on the bed. "Things have been going well so far. He hasn't yelled at me about my job or anything. If I bring it up, what's to stop all the angry words from flooding out of his mouth?"

"I don't think that's gonna happen, Nick. I genuinely think he wants to smooth things over with you. I just get the feeling that he's not sure how to actually start talking to you about it." Maya said, stepping close and placing a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"So, what? I have to be the one to start this discussion with him?"

Maya shook her head. "Nick, I don't get it. You butt heads with murderers and sword wielding prosecutors without so much as flinching, yet talking to your dad about something that tore your family apart is too much?"

"It's… Different, Maya." Phoenix said, his gaze cast downward. "Butting heads with Blackquill… It's never been about me. It's always about my client. This… I don't open up about myself easily, Maya. And it's not like I can easily just forgive my dad even if he apologizes. We're talking about years of abandonment and anger directed at me because I decided to be a lawyer."

"Nick," Maya said, taking the man's face in her hands. "You can do this. All these things you're telling me? Tell HIM. I know you won't be able to forgive him immediately, but if he wants to try and be a father to you, why not let him try? If you can't do this for yourself or even for your family…" She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. "Do it for me."

* * *

December 24  
12:38 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

Klavier plopped the roll of dough into the pot of boiling oil just as a buzz was heard from his intercom, causing him to flinch. "Ach!" He cried as a drop of oil splashed up and hit him in the cheek. He rushed over to his kitchen sink and splashed some cold water on his cheek. Once the burning sensation was gone, he turned off the faucet and walked over to the intercom, pressing the button. "Who is it?"

"Hi Prosecutor Gavin!" Cried a cute female voice that he recognized as belonging to Athena Cykes. "It's Athena and Apollo. Can you buzz us up? We brought your Christmas presents!"

Klavier sighed and ran a hand through his hair before pressing the button again. "Ja, just give me ein moment." He quickly rushed back to his room and threw his trademark jacket over the wifebeater he was currently wearing. He then rushed back to the intercom and buzzed the two in. "It's open. Just use the elevator to come up to the penthouse suite. It opens up straight into my living room."

A few moments later, the elevator dinged and opened up, the Greek God couple stepping inside. The two looked around in amazement at the expensive décor of the suite. Old guitars were hung up on the walls as trophies, pictures of Klavier shredding away on guitars lined the walls, and the whole of the living room and kitchen had no less than four televisions. Apollo also took note of the dent in the near one of the televisions.

Klavier cleared his throat to get the two's attention. They snapped their heads in his direction.

"Guten tag, Herr Forehead, Fraulein Cykes." He said.

Athena rushed ran up to the man. "Merry Christmas, Klavier!" She handed a small box to the German man.

"Fraulein, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Just open the box, Gavin. You don't wanna start barking up that tree." Apollo said as he stepped forward, handing another box to Klavier.

"You too, Herr Forehead? I thought you were merely joking when you said you'd bought a gift for me."

Apollo crossed his arms in front of him. "Hey, when have I ever come off as a joker to you?"

Klavier merely chuckled as he set the boxes down on his couch. "I kid, Herr Forehead. Give me a just a moment. I'll go get your gifts." With that, Klavier headed to his bedroom in the back of the suite.

Athena took a seat on the nearby couch. "Apollo, this place is amazing! Sure puts your little apartment to shame."

Apollo began to sweatdrop as he took a seat next to her. _Yeah, that's exactly what I wanna hear right now._

They suddenly heard a faint meow from next to Athena. She glanced over to see a tiny kitten with fluffy white fur.

"Aw! A kitten! Athena cried, reaching out to pet the animal. Schrodinger began rubbing his head against her hand and purring. "Apollo, he's so cute!"

Klavier then made his way back into room, noticing Athena playing with his young kitten. "I see you have met Schrodinger." Athena looked up at the man and smiled as Schrodinger jumped into her lap. "He's so cute, Prosecutor Gavin! I didn't take you for a cat person."

Klavier took a seat in one of the couches and set two boxes on the coffee table. "Well, before a few weeks ago, you would have been right." He then made kissing noises, causing Schrodinger to climb from Athena's lap and jump onto his. "But this little one has a bit of a story behind him."

* * *

October 28  
7:34 PM  
LA Alleyway

Klavier was walking home from the prosecutor's office, having worked late due to a fairly tiresome case. Rain was pouring down from the sky as he held his umbrella high over his head. As he neared his building, he picked up on the sound a struggle between a dog and a cat in an alleyway. Normally, Klavier wouldn't have cared, but the sounds were comeing the alley just outside his building. So as he walked by, he turned his head to look at what was going on. And immediately wished he hadn't.

The alley could practically described as a murder scene, blood staining the pavement around the assorted garbage. Just in front a cardboard box stood a medium sized dog, shaking it's head violently. Klavier was just able to make out the object the dog held in it's mouth. A full grown adult cat. The dog tossed the cat aside and then began to walk near the box, growling.

Klavier was about walk away, unable to watch anymore of this grisly scene, when suddenly he began to hear another noise: The soft cries of a frightened kitten. He glanced at the scene once more to see a small kitten, obviously frightened as the mutt stepped closer.

The German man wasn't sure what came over him as he folded his umbrella and charged at the dog. "Hey, get away from there you mangy mutt!"

The dog quickly looked at Klavier before he whacked it with his umbrella, causing the animal to yelp. The prosecutor then put himself between the dog and the kitten, holding his umbrella almost like a sword. The dog stood it's ground for a moment as it sized up Klavier. Finally, it turned around and ran off.

Letting out the breath he was holding, Klavier rushed to the cat's side, hoping for a chance that the animal was still alive. But to no avail. Klavier was no coroner, but even he could tell the cause of death. The cat's neck was twisted at an odd angle and it's eyes were closed. "I'm sorry this happened to you." Klavier said. He then walked over to the cardboard box to look at the kitten. It was very young, obviously still trying to get the hang of walking instead of crawling. When it saw Klavier, it began to cry out, obviously still frightened.

 _Why is there only one?_ Thought the blonde man. He looked around the alley, and it only took a moment for him to figure out what happened to the rest of the litter. The mother cat had been injured and bleeding, but not enough to create the small puddles of blood that stained the alleyway. Klavier shuddered at the thought.

Klavier continued to study the frightened kitten, unsure of what to do. He then started to pull off his jacket and reached for the small animal. The kitten reacted be crying out louder as Klavier picked it up and wrapped it in his jacket. "Shhhh, it's ok, little one. I won't hurt you."

Once the kitten was snug, Klavier grabbed his umbrella and rushed up to his suite. _The least I can do is take care of it for tonight._

* * *

December 24  
12:46 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

Athena was weeping her usual exaggerated tears. "That is so sad! You're so sweet, Klavier!"

Klavier simply chuckled. "Please, it was nothing anyone else wouldn't do. Now, enough sad talk," He said, handing the boxes to the lawyers. "Open your gifts!"

Athena immediately began excitedly tearing into her gift, sending the shreds of the colorful paper onto the rockstar's floor. Meanwhile, Apollo busied himself with undoing the tape on his gift, not wanting to leave trash laying on his rival's floor. Athena was just about to open the box her gift was in when she paused and sniffed the air. "Hey, is something burning?" She asked.

"Hm?"Klavier glanced at the stove in his kitchen to see smoke beginning to cloud the area."Ach! My Snackoos!" He cried before rushing into the kitchen.

December 24  
1:34 PM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix and his father sat in the living room of the house. Maya, Emma, Trucy, and Pearl had left nearly an hour earlier, leaving the two men by themselves. Not a word had been spoken between them since. Hugh was seated in his recliner, flipping through channels on television, while Phoenix was seated on the couch, looking through his phone, using the excuse that he was trying to figure out how to change his ringtone, something he'd been at for over a decade.

Minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly, each tick of the the second hand seeming to echo through the silent room, merely drawing more attention the tense atmosphere in the room. Hugh continued to flip through channels, each show and movie that came on seeming to be mocking the two men with the small snippets of dialogue they heard.

 _Luke, I am your father._

 _I AM... THE LAW!_

 _My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father._

 _You can't handle the truth!_

Finally, Hugh changed the channel directly to a local news channel. The weather man onscreen was gesturing around their area. "Now, as you can see, we're about to be hit with a powerful winter storm. All citizens are recommended to stay inside, as this snowfall will add to the 3 inches we accumulated last night, making travel on the roads incredibly dangerous. We should start seeing the first signs of this snowfall around three o'clock."

Hugh, having been silent since the girls left, finally spoke up. "I sure hope the girls don't get caught up in that mess."

Phoenix flinched slightly at hearing his father's voice, but responded nonetheless. "Y-yeah. I trust mom's driving, but I'd still rather they not be out there in the middle of the storm."

The two went silent again after that, merely watching the newscast. Until something finally pushed things too far.

"So, Margaret, how are you planning to spend the holiday tomorrow?" The male newscaster asked his female co-anchor.

"Oh, just spending time with my husband and daughter. What about you, Chuck?"

"Well, right after this broadcast, I have to go pick my mother up at the airport." Chuck replied.

"Oh?" Margaret replied. "Just your mother? What about your father?"

 _Oh come on!_ Phoenix found himself thinking.

"Ah, unfortunately, my dad's deployed overseas right now. He can't make it back for the holidays." Chuck said.

"Really? That's not what I heard. In fact, I heard your father's already in town." Margaret said, smiling ear to ear.

Chuck found himself chuckling. "And where did you here that?"

"Oh, well, only from the man himself. Isn't that right, Richard!?" Margaret called out. The camera panned off the set to show a man in military uniform stepping into the studio. The man had a wide grin on his face. "She heard right, son. Not sure where you're getting your information from.

The camera quickly cut back to Chuck, who's mouth was agape as he stood from the news anchor's desk, looking to be on the verge of tears. "Oh my God. Dad!"

Phoenix and Hugh continued to watch as the tearful reunion played out. Phoenix was cursing every deity above for this act of cruel irony. Hugh stayed silent until the show went to commercial, when he finally spoke. "Well, uh, th-that was nice, wasn't it Phoenix?"

Phoenix stayed silent for a moment, casting his gaze downward at the floor before he finally spoke up. "Dad, we need to talk."

Hugh breathed in and exhaled a long sigh before turning off the television.

 _Wacky waving inflatable arm flail-_ **Click!**

"You're right. Hugh said before turning to face his son. "We do."


	12. Talk

**A/N: This one took some motivation to get to work on, but it's done! I hope you guys like where I'm going with everything. I'm still shooting to have this done by Valentine's day, but I feel like I may end up overshooting that by a bit. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen.**

 **Also, I feel like you guys may be interested in seeing this gourmetgaming dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 32354142813 slash request dash phoenix dash wright dash ace dash attorney  
This is the recipe Klavier is following for the Snackoos. I've made them myself and they are DELICIOUS. Can't see how Ema could possibly decide to throw them at people. Such a waste!**

 **Quick shoutouts to the reviewers from last chapter**

 **Multifangirl6: Well, I can't say anything just yet, but let's just hope the Wright men are ready should anything happen. ;)**

 **thepudz: Well, you do have skill as a Wrighter. I enjoyed your stories. And I loved coming up with the references last chapter. Was giggling as I typed!**

 **Skillet28561: Hee, cliffhangers are just far too tempting for us writers.**

 **JordanPhoenix: Oh, you had Klavier pegged for a cat person? What can I say, a dog seems a bit too messy for mister Pretty Boy Fop. The kitten backstory may not tie into much, but I just felt like showing a more caring side to Klavier that we haven't seen in the games.**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: First off, nice tongue-twister of a username! And it warms my heart to now I can cause Vader such agony!**

 **ForsakenMythr2012: I can't help but torture our lovable porcupine-headed attorney, even around family!**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter, and don't worry, I'm already working on the next. Hopefully I can have it up before the end of the week.**

* * *

December 24  
1:49 PM  
Utah

"Oh my God!" Maya cried, laughing hysterically. "Nick actually tried out for football? I can't imagine him even WATCHING football!"

"Oh, you should have seen it, dear." Emma said, chuckling. "During the try-outs, he actually managed to get the ball, but started running the wrong way!"

Maya began laughing even louder. Trucy spoke up from the back seat of the SUV, catching her breath. "That sure sounds like Daddy."

"Oh, but the worst of it was that he did end up getting tackled. By his own team!" All three girls burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, Emma, I can't believe Nick never talks about you. This is probably the most fun I've had in a car in years! It's too bad Pearly couldn't come along."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry dear. If she wasn't feeling good, it's best that she stayed behind." Emma said. "Besides, it might be a good idea to have someone at the house in case Phoenix and Hugh get into a shouting match."

Maya simply laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Nick can't really handle it when Pearly let's a good slap fly."

December 24  
1:54 PM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix stared at his father, who returned the gaze right back.

 _What am I even supposed to say? How do I start talking to the man who basically abandoned me for a decade?_

Hugh stood from his seat and turned towards the kitchen. "Before we get started with this, I need a drink. You want one?"

Phoenix was taken aback by this offer. "I don't drink. And you're seriously saying you need a beer right now?"

Hugh shook his head. "I don't drink either, Phoenix. I meant a soda. Or some juice. You still like grape juice, dontcha?"

Phoenix rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, sure, grape juice would be great."

Hugh left the room and came back shortly with two full bottles of grape juice and handed one to Phoenix. He accepted it and cracked the bottle open immediately, taking a long swig as Hugh took a seat and did the same. The two finally pulled the bottles from their lips and looked at each other. Silence filled the room once again. Hugh was the one to break it.

"Well, just let loose, Phoenix. Ask me what you want to ask. Say whatever you need to say. Or just yell at me." He turned his gaze to the floor. "God knows I deserve it."

Phoenix couldn't find his voice for a moment. He couldn't believe how calm his father was being about all of this. Finally, his voice came back and he spoke. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to even sit in this room with you?"

Hugh stayed silent.

"For fourteen years, you've been absent from my life. And yes, I'm counting the years while I was disbarred because you weren't around for me. You were around for Trucy." Phoenix looked away for a moment. "You used to be a great father. Then I decided to be a lawyer. All to help my friend. And you turned your back on me." He then looked back at his father. "It's hard to even look at you, dad. I can't help but remember all the hurtful things you've said to me over the years." Phoenix could feel a stinging sensation beginning to form in his eyes. "Things like…"

"You're not my son." Hugh finally spoke up. Phoenix looked at him in shock. "Or that you're no better than that bastard that shot me. Or that Trucy deserves a much better father than you. Things like that, right?"

Phoenix couldn't speak, and so simply nodded.

Hugh sighed and took a swig of his grape juice. "I really am a piece of work, aren't I? I've come to realize how horrible a father I am, Phoenix. How blind I was. All I cared about was that you were a defense attorney." He moved his hand to his chest. "Just like Fender. That's all I saw you as. No better than that son of a bitch."

Phoenix struggled to keep the tears from falling from his eyes. "So that's not what you think of me now?"

Hugh shook his head. "No. Something finally opened my eyes."

Phoenix glared at the older man. "Really? So something just magically happened that made you not hate your only son? Forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe."

Hugh looked his son directly in the eyes. "Not just anything, son." He paused for a moment, thinking over what to say next. "I'm certain you remember what happened around this time last year, right?"

Phoenix racked his brain for a moment, unsure of what the man was talking about. "All I remember happening around this time last year was the UR-1 retrial. I'm not sure-"

"Exactly." Hugh interrupted.

"Wait, what?" Phoenix asked, confused.

"The UR-1 trial, Phoenix. That's what finally opened my eyes."

December 24  
1:12 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

Klavier dumbed the now burnt Snackoos to be onto a plate. He grimaced at the black chunks as they smoked.

"You… Want me to grab a fire extinguisher?" Apollo asked.

Klavier turned and gave man the stink eye. "Nein. Danke, Herr Forehead."

"Uh, so I guess you're not exactly a gourmet chef, huh, Klavier?" Athena asked as stood next to the German man.

Klavier turned his attention to the redhead. "Oh, however did you guess, Fraulein? Was it perhaps the charcoal that was meant to be an edible chocolate snack now sitting on this plate!?"

Athena was taken aback by Klavier's sudden outburst, her face contorting to show her hurt. Apollo noticed this and stepped in.

"Hey, calm down, Gavin! Athena was just trying to lighten the mood. There was no reason to snap at her." He defended.

"Apollo," Athena said. "It's fine, I was-"

"Nein." Klavier interrupted the woman. "I was out of line, Fraulein Cykes. Please accept my apologies." Klavier leaned over the counter top and ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Back to square one, suppose." He said as he walked over to his cabinet and began to collect the ingredients.

Athena watched this with a pout on her face. "Klavier, do you want some help with this?"

"Huh? No, no, Fraulien. I couldn't impose on you like that." Klavier said as he mixed together the flour and baking powder.

"Please, it's no imposition, really." Athena assured before turning to Apollo. "Right, Apollo?"

Apollo scratched the back of his head. "Well, I mean, don't we have- Ow!" The man cried as Athena jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"I said, _right, Apollo?_ " Athena repeated.

Apollo slumped forward in defeat. "Yeah, sure. It's cool. We can help, I guess."

Klavier looked at the two. "Well… If you are sure." He then pulled out his smartphone and brought up the recipe. "This is the recipe I am following."

Athena looked over the recipe, thinking to herself. "Hm, well, first thing we gotta do is double all of this."

"Double!?" Klavier cried. "Are you certain, Fraulein? Fraulein Skye is but one person."

"Gavin, I'M certain we should double this recipe." Apollo started. "I've seen that girl eat. She gives Maya a run for her money."

"If you two are certain… Uh, I believe Olga keeps the aprons over here." The platinum haired rockstar said as he walked over to a large pantry. He opened it up and grabbed two aprons, one red and one yellow, and handed them to his guests.

Athena excitedly through hers on while Apollo did so reluctantly. "Alright, Apollo, you get oil going while Klavier and I work on the dough!" The bubbly redhead grabbed the prosecutor and pulled him to the counter where the two of them began mixing the ingredients for the dough.

Apollo simply sighed and dug out a pot and some vegetable oil. _Really hope this isn't how excitable she gets every time she cooks._

December 24  
2:06 PM  
Wright Residence

"Wait, I'm confused. How does the UR-1 retrial have anything to do with your sudden attitude change? I mean, how do you even know about it?" Phoenix asked.

"How could I NOT know about it, Phoenix?" Hugh retorted. "It was international news. The sister of a death row inmate holding patrons at a space center hostage, demanding her brother's verdict be overturned? I'm amazed you don't realize how big that situation was."

Phoenix ran a hand through his spikes. "Well, all that probably went over my head after everything else that happened. My daughter was being held hostage, my employee was accused of murdering her mother, AND her future boyfriend's best friend. All the while, I'm going toe-to-toe with my old rival in a courtroom that was STILL crumbling." Phoenix looked back to his father. "That still doesn't explain why that would have anything to do with you suddenly wanting to be a part of my life again."

Hugh leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. "Well, lemme tell you, then."

December 20, 2027  
1:43 PM  
Wright Residence

"Hugh! Get in here, hurry!" Emma Wright cried from the living room.

Hugh R. Wright rushed down the stairs from the bedroom, worried that something had happened to his wife. "What is it, Emma!? Are you alright?!"

Emma rushed over to her husband and grabbed his arm, pulling him in front of the television. "I'm fine, Hugh! It's not me you need to be worried about, look!" She said, pointing at the tv.

Hugh looked at the screen to see a news reporter dressed in a magenta suit with brown hair, a microphone held up.

"For those of you just tuning in, we're standing here in front of the Cosmos Space Center, the center known for the famous Hat-1 miracle, where right now, a hostage situation is underway. An unknown hostage-taker has reprogrammed the robotic assistants of the space center and taken thirteen hostages." Hugh's eyes widened as a picture appeared next to the woman's head. "Among the hostages is Trucy Wright, daughter of famed defense attorney Phoenix Wright."

"Oh my God!" Hugh exclaimed. "What is Trucy doing there!? Why would anyone hold that little girl captive!?"

The news reporter continued. "The hostage-taker's demand are, as of right now, unclear. We'll keep following this story as it unfolds."

"My God." Was all Hugh could say as he collapsed onto the sofa. Emma could do nothing but sob as she sat down next to her husband.

A few more minutes passed as Hugh held his wife's sobbing form, trying as best he could to soothe the woman. Finally more information was broadcast.

"We have some more breaking news on this hostage situation. The culprit has finally issued a demand. Their price for the lives of the hostages is an exchange. They are demanding Athena Cykes, a young woman currently in detention under suspicion of murdering an employee of the space center, be brought to her in exchange for the hostages."

Hugh watched this and gritted his teeth. "Then just do it, you morons! A killer is a killer!"

"Hugh, calm down. They said she's only under suspicion. She may very well be innocent." Emma said between sobs.

"I doubt it. A high profile case like that? No way the LAPD would make a mistake."

Onscreen, the news reporter had her fingers to her ears. "What's that? Really? Alright then." She then turned back to the camera. "It seems I spoke too soon, everyone. The culprit's demands have changed. She is now demanding a retrial of the infamous UR-1 case from seven years ago." Another picture appeared next to the woman's head of a man with white and black hair and pale skin. "For those unaware, the UR-1 incident is a fairly old case in which prosecutor Simon Blackquill was charged with murdering a scientist here at the Cosmos Space Center. He pled guilty to all charges and is in fact scheduled for execution tomorrow."

"Ridiculous! Now that psychopath wants TWO murderers!?" Hugh cried, clenching his fists.

The news reporter continued. "The culprit's interest in this case is unknown as of yet, however, she has given the police force one hour to prepare a courtroom for the retrial. It appears that the aforementioned defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, has decided to take the case and is being allowed inside the space center to examine the original crime scene."

Emma's breath caught in her throat as she barely managed to choke out her son's name. "Phoenix."

Hugh, however, was being much more loose-lipped. "WHAT!? That STUPID boy!" the man slammed his fist down on the coffee table. "He's going to defend a death row inmate!?"

"Hugh, sweetie, calm down. I'd say if manages to win, the person will let Trucy go." Emma said. But Hugh only became angrier.

"That's not the point! He's defending that murderer for his own gain! If he wins, he gets a murderer off the hook to roam the streets again! If he loses, our granddaughter dies!" He slammed his fist on the coffee table again. "What did I tell you, Emma? That boy is no different than that son of a bitch, Fender!"


	13. Turnabout for Hugh

**A/N: Yada yada, insert joke about my being slow with updates here. Guys, I wanna go ahead and apologize right now. This chapter was supposed to be up last Wednesday. And the only excuse I have for why it wasn't is because I am lazy. I don't want any of you guys to think I'm gonna abandon this or any of my other stories. Believe me, I want to get back to writing Ace Mommy, but this story has to take precident. I'm still writing a Christmas fic in the middle of February. At this rate, we'll have May flowers blooming by the time we reach the climax!**

 **Anywhore, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I thought it'd be interesting to see a different party's interpretation of the events of Turnabout for Tomorrow. If you guys enjoy it, that's really what matters. So without further ado, chapter 13!**

 **Shoutout to the reviewers from last chapter:**

 **jarediro: Eh, I couldn't help it. Somehow I always have to find a way to coordinate the colors for our lwayers!**

 **thepudz: Believe me, I'm having a blast writing the Wright family in this one! Hugh can definitely be harsh, but I want to show that he's a good person deep down.**

 **Skyiesthelimit: Unfortunately, we don't get much 'talking' in this chapter between Nick and Hugh, but now they finally have a starting point on what to talk about, right?**

 **ForsakenMythr2012: Yeah, I had to show just how harsh Hugh was when he hated lawyers. And sadly, Emma is too kind hearted of a woman to bust any sense into her man.**

 **JordanPhoenix: Yeah, who on worth would believe that Nick would be any good at handling balls, right? XD Well, redemption for Papa Wright won't come easy, but blood is thicker than water, no?**

 **Skillet28561: Yeah, I'll admit that I wasn't too happy with myself for living things off there. I certainly hope things are a little better in this chapter. I swear we'll be back to present-day Nick and Hugh next chapter!**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: Oh, I love Undertale! I picked up myself a while back. And don't worry, I don't plan to stop writing my stories anytime soon.**

 **Multifangirl6: I felt I had to show what finally made Hugh have a change of heart, so of course I had to go back in time to do that. We'll finally get to the two of them talking/arguing/being stubborn asses next chapter, I swear! And you're favorite author? That means alot, thank you so much!**

 **Megaranger66: Y'know, I didn't even get a notification of your review, but seeing as you left it five hours ago, I hope this is soon enough for you! I am aware that I cut it off at a weird place, and for that I apologize. I hope this chapter is better!**

* * *

December 24  
2:12 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

"Andale, Apollo! We need more dough over here!" Athena cried.

Apollo, covered head to toe in flour, was fumbling with several strands of dough on the flour covered counter. "Hey, gimme a break, this dough is NOT meant for shaping! It's like handling Silly Putty!"

"And that's why you laid the flour down and covered your hands in it!"

Klavier was simply watching from the sidelines, waiting for Athena to tell him something to do. She had immediately taken the reigns of the operation, growing irritated quickly of Klavier's non-existent cooking skills… While they were still mixing the powdered ingredients.

"Why can't I just man the fryer since you're so much better at shaping them?" Apollo asked.

"Not a chance, buster! All the ones you've put in the oil turned out looking like a complete mess! I gotta make sure we don't get any more duds!"

Klavier ran a hand through his hair. _You are a brave man, Herr Forehead. It seems like this tiger is taming you._

* * *

December 20, 2027  
3:23 PM  
Wright Residence

The allotted hour given by the hostage-taker had passed. The person had managed to bring in a prosecutor themselves and a courtroom had been found. However, the news reporter had announced that since all available courtrooms had been in use at the time, only one was available; The crumbling remains of a bombed courtroom that had been destroyed only days before.

Something else had also been announced: Phoenix would not be defending Simon Blackquill. He would instead be defending Athena Cykes, who the hostage-taker was accusing of being the real murderer in the UR-1 incident.

Hugh was seething with rage as he continued to watch the news broadcast. Eventually, the broadcaster announced that they would be airing from inside the courtroom once it got underway, as there were no laws in pace preventing from doing so, given that the trial was unofficial.

"Phoenix, you IDIOT!" Hugh cried. "Your daughter is probably being held at gun point, and you think the way to save her is argue with your friend in a crumbling room? You're going to get her killed!"

Hugh watched the broadcast as the trial finally got underway, fully expecting his son to do something stupid that would cause suffering to every person involved.

But that never happened.

Hugh realized as he watched the trial unfold that he'd never seen his son in action in court. It was clear from the get-go that Phoenix was not planning to simply get Athena acquitted to defend some win record. It was also clear that he truly believed Blackquill was innocent as well. Hugh was unconvinced that both people could be innocent, but the longer the trial went on, the more Hugh began to understand his son's thinking on the matter. He found himself confused when Athena took to the bench with Phoenix and began talking about emotions, but whatever the young woman did seemed to eventually draw the truth from the convicted prosecutor.

A truth that shattered the girl's hope for her own innocence.

Athena took the witness stand, admitting to the murder of her own mother. The news reporter was talking again once the redhead's confession was over, but Hugh wasn't listening. His eyes were entirely focused on the view behind the woman. At the defense's bench, Phoenix was slumped over in defeat. His whole body seemed to be shaking. Perhaps it was simply that the television he was watching all this on had a very clear picture. Or perhaps his eyesight was better than he thought. Whatever the reason, Hugh couldn't help but notice something about his son; He was crying.

It was a subdued cry. Few tears fell, but the ones that did were hard not to notice to the older man.

Hugh felt as if his heart had broken. Phoenix had fought with everything he could to try and prove the innocence of his employee and the prosecutor. But it seemed he could only save one. And though Athena's conviction would mean Trucy's release, Hugh couldn't help feeling bad.

Then a miracle happened. Phoenix suddenly composed himself and thrust his arm forward just as the verdict was about to be declared.

 **Objection!**

Hugh had been about to turn off the Tv, but now found himself fixated on his son again. _Phoenix, what are you doing? It's over!_

Phoenix began to go on about how the way Athena remembered the events contradicted a vital piece of evidence. Hugh was skeptical, but couldn't turn away. He watched as his son presented the murder weapon of the case, explaining that while Athena said she remembered her mother's blood dripping from the handle of the sword onto her fingers, the handle of the katana had no blood on it. The trial continued, with the judge and prosecution once again moving to end the trial, but Phoenix wouldn't allow it. He asserted that despite the findings of the case so far, there was one way in which a third party could have been in the room; By using the robot's recognition software to his advantage.

On the stand, Athena seemed to be frightened by something and Phoenix's eyes were locked on her, as if seeing something no one else in the room could.

Suddenly, the young woman began to speak again. She retracted her confession and began to say that she remembered what had transpired that day. That she'd walked in on her mother's grisly murder scene. That she'd attacked a man in a mask with a knife. That she'd managed to injure him before he knocked her out and escaped.

Hugh, still skeptical of the whole story, was in shock. All these years he'd assumed his son went through his trials by leading witnesses to say what he wanted, or by tampering with evidence. However, this couldn't be the case here. There had been no time to tamper with evidence, and throughout the entire trial, Phoenix had never once asked a leading question.

Finally, through sound reasoning and clear evidence, Phoenix had pulled off a miracle. The security cameras had indeed captured a person with an injured hand fleeing the scene.

Hugh was astounded. Everything Phoenix said added up. _He's right._ The man thought. _I can't believe I'm admitting it, but Phoenix is absolutely right._

The judge, with the permission of the hostage-taker, revealed some time ago to be Aura Blackquill, the sister of the man originally convicted of the crime, moved to declare Athena not guilty.

"He did it, Hugh!" Emma cried. "Phoenix saved everyone! Not just Trucy but his employee, that prosecutor… He saved them all!"

"Yeah… H-he did." Hugh said as his gaze fell to the floor. _C-could I have been wrong all these years?_ He looked back to the screen to see Phoenix caught in an embrace from Athena, who had tears in her eyes. Hugh was just about to turn off the television, feeling he needed to think about things for a while, when suddenly…

 **Objection!**

* * *

December 24  
3:37 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

"These are probably the least appetizing things I have ever seen." Apollo said as he looked over the ugly hunks of fried cake dough.

"Oh be quiet, Apollo. They don't even have the chocolate on them yet." Athena scolded. "They'll be delicious after that!"

"Deep-fried cake dough, covered in chocolate. No thanks." Apollo said, his horns drooping over his face.

"Well, it's a good thing they're not for you then." The redhead said as she undid her apron and laid it on the counter. "Hey Klavier, I gotta go to the little girl's room."

"Oh," Klavier said. "Down the hall, third door on the left, Fraulein."

"Alright, thanks. I'll be right back. While I'm gone, why don't you two get started on melting the chocolate? Just put the chocolate in a bowl and put that bowl on a pot of boiling water." With that, the redhead headed off to the bathroom.

"You heard the lady, Gavin. Looks like you'll be helping make these things after all." Apollo teased as he began to fill a pot with water.

"Ja, it seems that way. Is she usually this bossy, Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked as he began to break apart an oversized chocolate bar.

Apollo simply chuckled as he placed the pot of water on the stove and crank up the temperature. "You have no idea." He then joined Gavin in breaking up the chocolate bar. "Say, I've been meaning to ask you, what happened to your hand?"

Klavier tensed up at the question as his gaze lingered on his bandaged hand. "I… I-I cut myself…With a knife as I was cooking. "

 **Badump!**

 _Huh? A reaction? Why would Prosecutor Gavin lie about something like that?_ Apollo decided to press the man. "Uh, sorry, I couldn't quite hear you. What'd you say happened?"

"Uh, sure…"

I cut myself

 _Nothing out of the ordinary there._

With a knife.

 **Gotcha!**

Klavier flinched as Apollo shouted at him. "Herr Forehead, calm down! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Apollo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "S-sorry. But, anyway, I couldn't help but notice that when you say 'knife', you glance at the dent in your wall by the TV."

Klavier tensed up again, knowing very well what Apollo was doing.

"Are you sure it was a knife that cut you?"

Klavier was beginning to get annoyed. "What does it matter, Forehead? I cut myself. With what doesn't matter." He said as he placed the bowl of chocolate on top of the pot of boiling water.

"Well, I can't help but wonder why you feel the need to hide this. And what that dent in your wall has to do with it."

Klavier suddenly spun around and looked Apollo dead in the eye, his face nearly turning red in anger. Apollo shrunk back in fear. "Can't you just let sleeping dogs lie, Justice! I don't want to talk about it!"

As Apollo continued to look at the man in fear, Klavier finally took composed himself, realizing that he was overreacting. "F-forgive me, Herr Justice. That was rude."

"I-it's fine. I shouldn't have pried." Apollo said.

The two then got back to work, the room now filled with an awkward silence. As the chocolate in the bowl began to melt, Klavier reached for a stirring spoon, but in the process, caused a bottle to fall from the nearby spice rack, spilling its contents into the bowl.

"Ach, nein!" The German man cried out.

"What? What happened?" Apollo asked as moved to the stove.

Klavier pulled the chocolate covered bottle from the bowl and looked at it. "I knocked over this bottle and spilled it into the chocolate."

"Well, do you have any more chocolate? We could always start over." Apollo said.

"Unfortunately, that was all of the chocolate."

Apollo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, what'd you spill? Maybe we can work with it."

Klavier wiped the his finger across the bottle so he could read what spice it was. His face dropped. "Well, perhaps it WOULD have been usable had I not spilled so much."

Apollo peeked over the prosecutor's shoulder to read the label. In black letters, written on the bottle was one word: Cinnamon.

* * *

December 20, 2027  
5:11 PM  
Wright Residence

Hugh sat in his chair, astonished at what had just transpired. Before the Judge could declare a verdict for the UR-1 case, a young man had intervened. Through listening to what the man had to say, Hugh figured out that he was Apollo Justice, his son's employee. What's more, he was accusing Athena, his co-worker of murdering his best friend!

 _I'd nearly forgotten that that girl was in detention for a different crime before this trial. After everything Phoenix just proved, I find it hard to believe she could harm a fly!_

Apollo went on to explain why he suspected the girl. The talk of his bracelet went completely over Hugh's head, but he understood everything else. A lighter supposedly used by the murderer bore Athena's fingerprints and a security camera placed her at the scene. The more the man spoke, the more Hugh began to wonder himself. Could that young girl really have killed a man in cold blood?

"Unless…" Apollo said. "… You think there was an alternate escape route…? Is that what you think, Mr. Wright?"

The Judge spoke up. "IS that what you think, Mr. Wright?"

 _If you're talking to THIS Mr. Wright… Then I don't think so. Everything fits. With everything that's been presented, there's no way another person could have-_

"Yes, of course there must have been." Phoenix said after a long pause.

Hugh was taken back. Surely Phoenix had to be bluffing.

"You're just bluffing again, aren't you?" Apollo said.

"Me? Bluff? No way!" Phoenix replied. Even Hugh could tell he was lying through his teeth.

Hugh sighed. _Maybe I wasn't wrong. He's clearly just grasping at straws, saying what he has to to win._

"It's fine, Mr. Wright." Apollo suddenly said, catching both Hugh and his son off guard. "Even a bluff would suit me just fine…"

Hugh watched as the young man who had remained calm up to this point lost his composure.

"As long as you can…" He slammed his fists on the witness stand so hard, Hugh thought for sure the damaged stand would crumble to dust. "…Clear up these doubts inside me!"

Apollo went on to explain that he wanted to believe in Athena. "But what is faith without doubt!?" He said. "That's why… I need to question her guilt!"

Phoenix and Edgeworth, along with the judge went on to talk about the true meaning of the law.

Prosecutors pursuing the defendants to prove their guilt. Attorneys believing in and defending their clients to the bitter end. And both sides clashing against each other to discover the truth.

This was something that had never crossed Hugh's mind. For as long as he could remember, he believed that prosecutors and lawyers merely fought for themselves. For the paycheck that waited at the end of a victory. He had never once thought of there being attorneys and prosecutors who only cared about the truth.

Apollo cried out again. "No matter what the truth is that's waiting ahead, I won't be afraid!"

Even Hugh could tell that the young man was fighting a battle inside that threatened to tear him apart. Everything the man knew led him to the conclusion that his own co-worker had murdered his best friend. But he truly wanted to believe that she hadn't. And now he turned to Phoenix to dispel these doubts.

"Mr. Justice… I vow to dispel every last bit of doubt in your heart!"

Hugh looked at his son once more. Despite having the same look on his face as when he had bluffed before, he could tell that Phoenix meant every word he was saying.

The trial continued, everyone concluding that the murderer could only have escaped into the space museum next to the crime scene, which was then switched with the launch pad. Things looked bleak for Athena.

Finally, Phoenix spoke up again. He began to explain that when the museum and the launch pad were switched, an alternate escape route appeared. Everyone was skeptical as Phoenix explained his theory.

"In other words, the culprit's real escape route was… The area outside the Space Center!"

Hugh felt as if he was in the courtroom now, as he along with Edgeworth, the Judge, and Apollo all flinched.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Hugh cried. "Phoenix, are you crazy!"

Hugh wasn't alone in this assumption as everyone began to claim his son was insane! However, Phoenix continued, explaining that, given the circumstances at the time, the culprit could have used an emergency ladder to keep from falling to their death.

Everyone began to question whether or not this feat could have been possible, with Edgeworth claiming his theory had more holes than Swiss cheese. Phoenix seemed ready to throw in the towel, until Apollo spoke up again.

"The culprit would have to be someone who feels no fear, like a stuntman."

This comment seemed to push Phoenix's mind into overdrive. Finally, he presented evidence. It was the Psych Profile of the man that had killed Athena's mother.

Hugh's eyes widened in realization as he figured out where his son was going with all this. _Everyone's right, someone would have to be insane to take a leap of faith like that! And that Phantom guy seems to fit the bill pretty well._

Everyone began to discuss the Phantom.

"So then, this 'phantom'… is the one who killed Clay… !?" Apollo cried. "But who IS he!?"

Phoenix and Edgeworth began to piece things together a bit at a time. They deduced that the escape ladder had been a part of the escape plan from the beginning. They also figured that the Phantom had to be someone who knew which ladder would be used.

Phoenix went silent for a moment, thinking all of these facts over. Suddenly, he was taken aback, his eyes widening as he cried out. Everyone questioned him, asking if he had figured it out.

Phoenix hesitated a moment before he finally named a suspect. "Detective Bobby Fulbright!"

* * *

December 24  
3:23 PM  
Utah

Emma, Maya, and Trucy exited the grocery store, Emma pushing a cart full of groceries in front of her.

"Oh my God, that's such an adorable story, Emma! I wish the story of how I met Nick was half as cute as that." Maya said.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask, how did you and Phoenix meet?"

"What? You mean Nick never told you!?" Maya cried, puffing out her cheeks.

Emma laughed at her reaction. "No, he didn't. He told me WHEN he met you, but not how."

Maya pouted. "Well, I guess I can't blame him. I mean, meeting Nick was really pretty bittersweet." Maya began to explain as the girls began to pack the groceries into the SUV. "Yeah, I got to meet Nick, and for that I'll always be happy, but that was also the day I lost my sis."

Emma let out a gasp. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear! I didn' t mean to dredge up sad memories." She said, putting a hand on Maya's shoulder.

"No, don't worry about, it's fine, really!" Maya reassured the woman. "It's not like she's completely gone."

"That is true. Those we lose are always with us." Emma said before pulling the woman into a hug.

Maya returned the hug happily. _Oh, if you only knew how right you were._

The women pulled apart and Emma shivered. "Brrrr! C'mon now, girls, let's get home before this snow storm get any worse."

* * *

December 20, 2027  
9:10 PM  
Wright Residence

It was all finally over.

Phoenix had fought long and hard, against nearly impossible odds. But finally, the last piece of evidence had been presented. And Phoenix had won the day.

When the truth about everything, the Phantom's identity, the reason for the Space Center bombing, the death of Clay Terran, had finally come to light, the Phantom, who had been masquerading as Bobby Fulbright, a deceased detective, had gone crazy, tearing mask upon mask from his face, attempting to uncover who he truly was. Finally, a gunshot rang out.

Hugh clutched at his chest, being instantly reminded of his past, and watched as the man at the witness stand, whose face was hidden in shadow, collapsed backwards. The court had gone into frenzy as a search began for a sniper who had shot the man. The news broadcast had been unable to continue in the chaos and cut off for some time.

Once the broadcast cut off, Hugh began to hyperventilate. Something that didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

"Hugh? Oh no, are you alright!?" She cried as she pulled him into an embrace. Hugh held his wife close and buried his face into her shoulder. "It's alright, Hugh. It's alright. I'm here."

Nearly fifteen minutes passed before Hugh was able to pull himself away.

"Hugh, sweetie, are you going to be ok?" Emma asked.

Hugh sucked in several deep breaths. "Y-yeah. I think so." Hugh replied. "Thank you, Emma."

About this time, the broadcast came back on. The two turned their attention back to the television.

Unsurprisingly, Athena was declared not guilty. The Phantom was also mentioned to have survived the sniper attack. Court was then finally adjourned.

Onscreen, the reporter who had been viewing the trial spoke. "And there you have it folks. What began as a hostage situation has now finally been resolved, leading to the release of a falsely accused man and the imprisonment of an international spy." A picture of Phoenix appeared next her face. "Though some would still say that Phoenix Wright has no place in the world of after his disbarment eight years ago, one cannot deny the impact he has made since his reinstatement several months ago. Mr. Wright, should you happen to see this, this station, and the people of this city, thank you."

Hugh finally turned off the TV. He and his wife sat in silence for a moment before Hugh finally spoke up.

"He really did it, didn't he? Phoenix saved all of them. Trucy. The other hostages. That prosecutor. His own employee."

"He did, Hugh. I know how you feel about lawyers, sweetie, but-"

"I was wrong." Hugh interrupted.

"Hugh?"

"All these years, I've been wrong about Phoenix. What I just watched wasn't a man looking for a paycheck or fame. That was a man who truly believed in the court system and all it's meant to stand for." He cast his gaze downward. "And I've pushed him away for thirteen years."

Emma looked at her husband, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she finally pulled the man into a hug. "Hugh, you have no idea how long I've wanted you to say that."

Hugh held his wife as her whole body as she sobbed. "I've really been a fool all these years." He tightened his hold on his wife. "I'm sorry, Emma."

Still clinging to her husband, Emma spoke between sobs. "It's not me you need to apologize to, Hugh. It's Phoenix."

Hugh pulled back and looked his wife in the eye. "I will. I promise you, Emma, I will make this right with Phoenix if it's the last thing I do."


	14. Battle scar

**A/N: Phew, it took alot for me to finally get this one finished, but I'm glad I got it done by the day I wanted to! I'm hoping to wrap up up this story within the next 3-4 chapters, so be ready for alot to happen. I honestly don't have as much to say for this note, so I'll just leave of by saying thank you to everyone who's stuck with me through this, considering you're still reading a Christmas tale at the end of February!**

 **Shoutouts to the reviews from chapter 13:**

 **thepudz: Always great to hear from Debeste readers! I know from personal experience that using too much cinnamon can RUIN your food, so let's hope Ema has a taste for it, eh?**

 **Multifangirl6: I always like to break things up so I'm not focusing on anything too tense for too long. I feel like focusing too much on a sad or tense moment can turn people away, so I try to show happier scenarios as much as I can as well.**

 **Skillet28561: Yep, we're finally closing in on the end. Hopefully I don't go too far over my projected 3-4 chapters.**

 **ZardX: (Hopefully this translates well, my Spanish skills are non-existent, so I had to use Google Translate)** **Bueno, yo no diría que han reconciliados por el momento. Hugh todavía tiene mucho para compensar. Pero seguro que él puede hacer cosas Wright, ¿no es así?**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: It only just occurred to me reading your review, BOTH von Karmas were shot in the shoulder!**

 **Melody Ros Gold: An incident where a scientist held thirteen people hostage in a space center? I definitely think it would have been huge news.**

 **JordanPhoenix: Yes, Hugh will definitely have to work hard to make things Wright, won't he? Hopefully when that all comes to pass, I'll have finally written an OC people don't despise!**

* * *

December 24  
3:37 PM  
Wright Residence

Hugh had finally finished his story and the two men sat in silence. Hugh had nothing more to say until Phoenix spoke and Phoenix had no idea how to respond. Finally, Phoenix managed to speak.

"So… That's it? You watched the UR-1 trial and now you don't think I'm the devil anymore?" He asked.

Hugh looked at his son. "Phoenix, I never thought you were the devil!"

"Really? Are you sure about that? Because from the sound of it, you assumed I would be willing to sacrifice my daughter's life for fame!" Phoenix cried.

Hugh was taken back by this comment, but then shifted his gaze toward the floor. "I admit, I was harsh, Phoenix. But I swear I don't think that way anymore!" Hugh cried, looking back to his son. "I saw what you did for all of those people. Not just for Trucy. But all those hostages. Your employee, that prosecutor. All of them! You actually cared about finding the truth and saving all those people."

Phoenix stood from his spot on the couch. "And it only took my daughter being held hostage and my life nearly falling apart all over again for you to see that!" He shouted, not caring about how loud he was being. "Of all the people in this world who should have believed in me from the beginning, you should have been one of them. But you weren't! You thought worse of me than anyone else! I've put people in prison who thought better of me than you!"

"I know that, Phoenix!" Hugh cried, holding his head in his hands. "I've looked back on my actions now and realized that I'm probably the worst father ever."

Phoenix was about to shout at the man again, but stopped himself once Hugh's words processed. _I'm probably the worst father ever._ Phoenix's mind flashed images of people from his past. Manfred von Karma. Drew Misham. Zak Gramarye. Phoenix looked at the floor. "I… Wouldn't go that far."

"Huh?" Hugh looked back to his son, who was taking his seat back on the couch.

"I wouldn't say that you've been a great father, but I've seen the worst. You can't imagine the horrible fathers I've met in my career."

"I doubt any of them can stack up to an old man who pushed his only son away for fourteen years."

Phoenix simply shook his head. "Hey, at least you've never killed a person over a flawed record. Or completely abandoned me on a stranger's doorstep. Or used me for monetary gain."

Hugh's eyes grew wide. "You've dealt with people like that?"

Phoenix nodded. "The man who took Edgeworth in, Manfred von Karma… He was a man who valued perfection above all else. I can only imagine the hell he put Edgeworth and his own daughter Franziska through. Not to mention, he was the one killed Edgeworth's dad."

"I remember hearing about that trial. At the time, I just ignored the news for… Reasons you can probably guess." Hugh said.

Phoenix sighed. "That was one of the hardest cases I ever took on. It was the one that really started to show me the darkest parts of people."

"I can imagine. From what I understand, following thorough reinvestigations, the police and the prosecutor's office found dozens of his cases to have been won through forged evidence. Can you imagine all the people's lives he ruined?"

Phoenix stared at the floor. "A lot. So I can't say you're a worse father than him. And we can't forget Trucy's real dad."

"Gramarye, right?" High asked.

Phoenix nodded again. "Maybe I'm biased, but I don't think I've met a worse father than him. Using his daughter in an escape plan and abandoning her."

"For what it's worth, Phoenix, it's probably better that he left her. With you at least." Hugh said. Phoenix looked at his father wordlessly. "I may not know anything about being a good dad, but I don't need to to tell that you're a wonderful father to her."

Phoenix shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. You know how to be a good father. Heck, Trucy loves you, and I can tell Pearls is taking a shine to you. But I just can't understand why you couldn't be like that for me. Was my job really all you could see about me?"

Hugh took a long swig of his grape juice. "I already said it before, but I'll say it again. I was blind, Phoenix. And stubborn. I was too stubborn to look past my petty hatred for lawyers to see that you were still my son, no matter what. And I WANT to start being a good father to you, Phoenix… If you'll let me."

Phoenix clenched his hand into a fist and looked away. "Yeah well, I'm not sure I can just LET you, dad. I'm not even sure I can actually forgive for after everything that's been done. Been said."

"I don't blame you." Hugh replied. "I don't think I'd forgive myself, either" He then looked back to Phoenix. "But I want to somehow make it up to you, Phoenix!" He suddenly cried.

Phoenix looked back to his father and was shocked to notice something. The man, whom he'd never seen cry in all his life, now had a single tear sliding down his cheek.

Hugh R. Wright was a strong man. He was the type to say that tears were for the weak. To see this man, who had put forward a strong front all his life, who supposedly didn't shed a tear even when a bullet had pierced his chest... It put things in perspective for Phoenix.

 _This man has said horrible things to me for years. Has abandoned and practically disowned me. All because of my job. It's almost impossible to believe that he's had a change of heart… But that is not a lying face._ Phoenix reached into his pocket and clutched his Magatama in his hand. _And I haven't seen a single Psyche-Lock the whole time we've been sitting here. He's… He means every word. He wants to make up for how he's acted. But… I don't know if I can just forgive him so easily._

"Dad, you have to realize how hard it is for me to forgive you. I need more than words!"

Hugh brought a hand to his face and wiped a tear away. "I know, Phoenix. What is they always say in court? Evidence is everything?"

"Normal people just say 'Actions speak louder than words,' but same idea I guess."

Hugh stood from his seat and walked over to the Christmas tree. He searched among the wrapped gifts for a moment before picked one up wrapped in metallic blue paper and topped with a red bow. He walked over and held the box out to Phoenix. "I know this won't be enough to make you do a complete one-eighty about how you feel about me, but I hope it at least shows that I mean what I'm saying."

Phoenix looked first at his father, then at the box. He hesitated a moment before he took the box and began tearing into the paper.

* * *

December 24  
4:12 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

Athena used a pair of tongs and placed the last of the chocolatey snacks on the sheet of wax paper. "And there we go!"

Apollo looked over the snacks that they had prepared… And couldn't have been less hungry if he tried.

Although clearly meant to be eaten, the chocolate creations laid out in front of them resembled something that was very much NOT meant for human consumption. As if reading Apollo's mind, Athena turned to her boyfriend and shot him a glare.

"You got something to say, Justice?"

Apollo flinched and scratched the back of his head. "Huh? W-who, me? Nah, they look great!"

Athena gave a shit eating grin then. "That's what I thought." She then turned her attention to Klavier. "What about you, Klavier? How do they look.

 _Don't say they look like poop. Don't say they look like poop. Don't say they look like poop._ Apollo chanted to himself.

"They, uh, look great, Fraulein! I'm sure Fraulein Detective will love them." Klavier said.

"You're darn right she will!" Athena cried, punching her fist into her hand. "It's too bad they need to cool so we can't give them a taste test."

Apollo and Klavier quickly exchanged a look between each other before looking back to Athena.

"Y-yeah! A crying shame, that is!" Apollo said.

"Indeed, I-I wish we could try just one, but alas, they are not quite ready." Klavier agreed.

Athena put her hands on her hips and looked at the two men for a moment before finally speaking again. "Yeah, like I said. Too bad. Hey, Apollo, we should probably get going. Let Klavier get ready for his date."

Klavier's face turned red at this. "I-it is not a date, Fraulein!"

Athena giggled to herself as she and Apollo headed for the elevator. "Right, right. Sorry. Anyway, we'll see you around Klavier!" With that, the two stepped into the elevator.

Klavier let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close." He said to himself as he ran a hand through his hair.

Inside the elevator, Apollo and Athena stood in silence for a moment before Apollo spoke up. "Well… That took a lot longer than expected, huh?"

"Yeah," Athena said. "Kinda wasted away the whole day. I wanted to go see Junie and give her her present, but she, Robin, and Hugh left on a ski trip about an hour ago."

"Ah, well that's too bad. We can take it to her when they come back though, right?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah… Oh, Apollo, I have a question."

"Hm? What is it?" Apollo asked.

Athena then looked him dead in the eye. "What the hell did you two do while I was in the bathroom?"

* * *

December 24  
4:23 PM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix laid on the bed of the guest room. He'd been there for some time. As soon he'd opened the gift from Hugh, he excused himself, needing to be alone to think.

 _Damn it, old man. For the longest time I was perfectly ok with you being out of my life. And now you're making things so complicated!_

He turned toward his nightstand and reached for the gift to look at it once more.

The gift he'd been given was a small picture frame. Inside it was a picture of Phoenix and his family, taken many years before. Phoenix was still rather young, in his freshman year of High School and it showed. In the picture he was rather scrawny. Also of note was his black eye, which he'd received right before the picture was taken. He was sitting on his father's shoulder, who was using one hand to hold phoenix up and had the other arm around his wife.

* * *

Phoenix trudged off the field sadly, when suddenly his father scooped him up and out him on his shoulder.

"Phoenix, ya looked great out there!" Hugh had said.

Phoenix refused to smile. "You don't need to pity me, dad. I know I messed up."

"And what does that matter? Did you see how hard those guys had to try to catch you? You were like a blue blur!"

This earned a chuckle from Phoenix. It was then that Emma had come to her husband and son, holding a bag of ice. "Oh, Phoenix, are you ok? You're not hurt too badly, are you?"

Phoenix shook his head. "Nah, just the eye, mom." He said as he accepted the bag of ice and put it on his eye.

"You saw him out there, didn't you, Emma? This boy can run with the best of 'em!" Hugh cried.

Emma chuckled. "I did see. I had no idea you could move so quickly, Phoenix."

Phoenix smiled at his parents. "Thanks, guys." His face then fell. "But I didn't make the team."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hugh asked his son. " I'd say all this did was show you that maybe football's not your niche. But someone who can move like you? I think you'd be a shoe-in for the track team!"

"The track team? Y-you really think I could do it, dad?" Phoenix asked.

"Of course I do, Phoenix! Like I said, maybe football isn't for you. But I think track would be just the Wright fit for you!"

Emma chuckled again. "Oh, Hugh. You and your puns."

Phoenix thought this over for a moment before he spoke up. "You know what, yeah! Yeah, you're right, dad! Track team try-outs are next week, and I'm gonna make it on the team!"

"That's the spirit, boy! Emma, get out your camera! We gotta get a picture of this momentous occasion."

Emma happily obliged, and the three squeezed in to take the picture. Just before Emma pressed the button, Hugh gave Phoenix a nudge. "Hey, Phoenix. Move the ice pack. Be proud of your battle scars!"

Phoenix hesitated only a moment before he obliged and smiled into the camera.

 **Flash!**

* * *

Phoenix sighed as he remembered this and put the picture back on his nightstand. At that moment, a knock was heard at the door.

"Dad, I just wanna be alone for a while ok?" He said.

A tiny voice came from the other side of the door. "Mr. Nick? It's me. I was just wondering if you were ok."

"Pearls? Uh, come on in." Phoenix said, leaning up from his laying position.

The door slowly creaked open to reveal Pearl, still dressed in her pajamas.

"Pearls, what are you doing here? I thought went with Trucy, Maya, and my mom." He said.

Pearl stepped further into the room. "I wanted to, but I wasn't feeling well after breakfast. Mystic Maya told me I should stay here and get some rest."

"Oh, sweetie, you're not feeling good?" Phoenix asked as he stood from the bed and walked up to the teenaged medium, placing a hand on her forehead. "Ah, you definitely have a fever. What are you doing up?"

Pearls looked at the floor and folded her hands together. "Mr. Nick… A-are you and Mr. Hugh mad at each other?"

Phoenix was taken aback by this question. "W-why do you ask, Pearls?"

Still looking down, Pearl answered. "I heard you an d Mr. Hugh yelling at each other. That's what woke me up."

 _Great, now I feel like a real jerk._ "Uh, w-well, ya see, Pearls… Me and my dad… We have a tough relationship."

"What do you mean?" Pearl asked as she took a seat on the bed.

"Uh, well…" Phoenix searched for the right words as he took a seat next to the girl. "My dad… He hasn't always been the nicest guy to me."

"Why would Mr. Hugh not be nice to you? I think he's really nice!" Pearl said.

Phoenix scratched the back of his head. "Yeah well, he… He wasn't always like that. He doesn't really like lawyers, Pearls."

Pearl put a hand to her mouth and gasped. "He doesn't like lawyers? Why not, Mr. Nick?"

"Well, did you notice how walks with a cane?" Pearl nodded. "That's because he was shot a long time ago. By a lawyer."

Pearl gasped again. "Why would anyone shoot Mr. Hugh!?"

"That's… what we'd all like to know. But I don't think we'll ever get the answer. Anyway, because of that, my dad and I don't always get along."

Pearl looked back to the floor. "I see. I'm sorry I asked about it, Mr. Nick."

"I-it's fine, Pearls. Really."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment when Pearl took notice of the picture on Phoenix's nightstand. She picked it up and took a look at it. "What's this, Mr. Nick?"

"Huh? Oh, my dad just gave me that. It's a picture we took when I was still in high school."

"What happened to your eye?"

Phoenix chuckled slightly. "Oh, that? Well, right before we took that picture, I was trying out for the football team. It… Didn't go well."

"Even with that black eye, you still look very happy, Mr. Nick."

Phoenix took the picture from her hands and looked at it again. "Yeah… I do, don't I?"

* * *

December 24  
5:07 PM  
Utah

"Oh, I wish I'd known beforehand how bad this storm was going to be." Emma said to herself.

"Yeah, I can barely see a thing out there."

The girls were moving very slowly through the storm as the snow blew fiercely outside.

"How much farther is it, Grandma?" Trucy asked from the back seat.

"We should be home in about a half hour, sweetie. Just hold tight." Emma reassured the girl.

The vehicle slowly came to the top of a hill. Emma breathed in a quick breath and began to ease down the hill, Emma pressing her foot heavily on the brake pedal. Midway down the hill, however, the tires hit a large patch of black ice,

"Whoa! W-what's going!?" Maya cried as the vehicle began to gain momentum.

"I-I think we hit a patch of black ice! Hang onto something, girls!"

Trucy and Maya grabbed hold of the handles placed above the doors and held on for dear life as car continued to roll faster down the hill. Emma continued to press on the brake with no luck.

Eventually, the SUV reached the bottom of the hill, but continued to roll forward.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

 **Crash!**


	15. A Spirited Rescue

**A/N: Ah, glad I managed to write this one up rather quickly once I started it. Really, when I finally got to work on this one, the words just flowed out of my fingertips so easily. Hopefully I can keep this up. And you guys thought last chapter's cliffhanger was bad? Wait till you see this one! Hopefully you guys don't hate me too much for leaving you hanging!**

 **Shouts to the reviews from chapter 14:**

 **JordanPhoenix: Hey, SOMETHING had to be able to hurt the guy at some point, right? Otherwise Charles Xavier would have recruited the Iron Lawyer by now!**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: DEFENDIN' AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND! Also, as much as I love hearing from my amazing readers, I would discourage reading my stories during school! Don't wanna be the reason anyone fails a class. Remember, stay in school, kids!**

 **Skillet28561: Yes, it seems that poor Polly is forever to be plagued by his supposed gay feelings for the fop. Poor guy!**

 **thepudz: I am glad to hear that my readers are starting to be able to forgive Hugh. I don't wanna make the guy nonredeemable!**

 **Multifangirl6: As I said, I think this cliffhanger will be much worse! I certainly hope you all can forgive me for doing two cliffhanger chapters in a row.**

 **ForsakenMythr2012: Don't worry, I can't bring myself to kill off Maya or Trucy. I love the two of them way too much! And sadly, I couldn't resist doing another cliffhanger. But I'm hoping to actually get the next chapter out by the end of the week. In fact, I'm already working on the next chapter as I post this!**

 **Semi Guest: Well, you'll just have to read and find out, won't you? ;)**

 **Oh, and I should probably mention, I don't know for certain when, but eventually, I plan to do another story about how Hugh and Emma met! A prologue to the entire series, if you will. Now, I think I've left you all waiting long enough. Let's get this show on the road with chapter 15!**

* * *

December 24  
5:34 PM  
Utah

"Ugh." Emma groaned as she pulled herself out of the airbag of the SUV. Her head throbbed as she looked around her. Maya lay unconscious next to her, but was relatively unharmed, save a few scrapes. Trucy was in much the same position in the backseat, her seatbelt pulling against her as she leaned forward. She reached over and shook Maya. "Maya. Maya, wake up!"

Maya let out a groan as her eyes fluttered open. She looked over at the older woman in the driver's seat. "Emma? What happened?" She asked as she brought a hand to her head.

"I lost control of the car, dear." Emma explained. She looked out the front windshield, and was just barely able to make out a tree through the shattered glass and bent metal. "It looks like we went headfirst into a tree."

Maya continued to hold her head as she processed this information. "Yeah… I think I remember now." She said. "You hit some black ice and we rolled down the hill…" Her eyes then went wide "Trucy!" She cried. She whipped around to see Trucy unconscious in the back seat. She reached out a hand and shook her by the shoulder. "Trucy! Truce, are you ok? Please wake up!"

Trucy groaned and lifted her head up to look at Maya. "Mommy?" She said. "What happened?"

"We were in an accident, sweetie. But it looks like we're all ok." Maya said, smiling at the girl. "Are you alright?"

Trucy nodded. "Yeah. Just a few scrapes I think."

"Well, at least none of us are hurt too badly." Maya said. "Can't say as much about the car. Do you think it'll start again, Emma?" She asked the older woman. Emma tried turning the key, but the engine made no effort to start.

Emma frowned. "Doesn't look like it. Looks like we'll have to get someone to pick us up." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Darn. I knew I should have charged this thing before we left the house. Maya, what about your phone?"

Maya checked hers and frowned. "No signal. Truce, what about you?"

"No signal for me either."

All three girls groaned. "Now what are we going to do?" Emma asked.

Maya put a hand to her face as she put on her thinking cap. _We can't just sit here and hope that someone comes by and sees us. But we really don't have any way of getting ahold of Nick and Hugh without our phones. Hmmmm…_ Her eyes widened as she thought of an idea. _Well, I may have one way of contacting them, but…_ She glanced over at Emma, who was busying herself turning the key in the ignition with no luck. _I'm half afraid I'll give Emma a heart attack._

Emma let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't suppose you girls have any ideas?"

Maya decided she really only had one option. "Uh, I might have one." She said.

"Oh, you do? Let's hear it!"

Maya took in a deep breath. "Well, Emma… I think it's time you met my sis."

* * *

December 24  
5:22 PM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking into the living room, where Hugh sat in the recliner, absent-mindedly channel surfing with a sad look on his face. Phoenix sucked in a breath and stepped into the room. "Dad?"

"Hm? Oh, Phoenix, hi." Hugh said as he clicked off the television.

"H-hey." Phoenix said, putting his hands in his pockets . "I… I had some time to think things over."

Hugh could only manage to nod as he continued to look at his son.

"And… And I want to be able to be a family again. I really do, dad. But I still don't think I can forgive you just like that."

"I understand, Phoenix. I have a lot I need to make up for, and I realize that."

"Right." Phoenix replied as he took a seat on the sofa. "And… I think I know one way you can start making things up to me."

"What is it? Just say the word, son, and I'll do it!" Hugh said.

Phoenix breathed in a deep breath of air and released it as he reached into his pocket. "I-I want you to support me as I make the biggest decision of my life." He pulled his hand out and held out a tiny box to Hugh.

Hugh looked at the box for a moment before taking it from Phoenix looking inside. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

"I've been with Maya for around six months now. But I've been in love with her for about as long as I can remember. So I've finally made a decision. I'm going to ask her to marry me. Tomorrow. Only one other person besides you knows about this ring. And I don't plan to tell anyone else." Phoenix explained as his father examined the intricate details of the ring. "I'm telling you this now because I could really use some support. I know you've only just met Maya, but she's taken a shine to you. And she's the reason we came here. She really wanted to meet you and mom. Because she doesn't really have a family of her own. Her family was taken from her. And she's made it clear that she wants to be a part of mine."

"Phoenix… This ring is beautiful. You must have spent a pretty penny on this."

Phoenix chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'll probably be taking a page from my detective friend's book and be living off instant noodles for a couple months." He then went back into serious mode. "So, do I have your support, dad? It would be nice to know I have family supporting this decision."

Hugh closed the ring box and handed it back to Phoenix. "Phoenix, I can tell at a glance just how much you love that girl. And I can say the same for Trucy. Maya really seems to have taken well to filling the role of mother for that girl."

"Well, she's had a lot of practice, what with Pearl's mother being in prison." Phoenix said.

Hugh smiled. "So, I'll be gaining a daughter and a granddaughter then?"

Phoenix looked at his father, who was smiling back at him. "Dad?"

"You have my support, son. A hundred percent."

Phoenix couldn't help it as a small crept upon his face and he suddenly pulled his father into a hug. "Thank you… Dad. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Hugh returned the hug. "Likewise. I'm… I'm so happy you decided to share this with me."

Suddenly, the two men separated as a new voice broke through the room. "As sweet as this all is, Phoenix, you'd better hurry if you want to be able to ask Maya that question."

Phoenix jumped up from his seat on the couch and turned around to see the figure of his former boss standing at the foot of the stairs. "Chief!? What are you doing here?"

Mia stepped forward, now standing in front of Phoenix. "Maya sent me. She needs your help, Phoenix."

Hugh suddenly spoke up, suddenly reminding Phoenix that he was in the room. "Phoenix, who on earth is this!? And why is she wearing little Pearl's clothes!?"

Phoenix spun around and looked at his father. _Crap, how to explain to my dad that this is a dead woman borrowing Pearl's body without him deciding to throw me in a psyche ward!?_

"Your name is Hugh, right?" Mia said to the older man. She extended her hand. "My name is Mia Fey. I can explain who exactly I am in a moment, but we have a more pressing matter."

The two shook hands as Phoenix spoke up again. "O-oh yeah, that's right! You said Maya needs my help. What's going on, are they ok!?"

Mia turned her attention back to Phoenix again. "None of them are injured. But they're stranded. It seems their vehicle went off the road and into a tree. They need you to go get them before this storm gets any worse."

Hugh and Phoenix's eyes both grew wide.

"H-how do you know all this!? We haven't heard from the girls since they left earlier."

"As I said, Hugh, I'll explain later. Right now, we have no time to lose if you want to keep you wife, future daughter-in-law, and granddaughter from becoming icicles."

"She has a point, dad. If the girls are stranded in this storm, we can hold the explanations until they're safe." Phoenix then turned his attention back to Mia. "Can you show us where they are, chief?"

Mia nodded. "I got a good look around the area and your mother gave me some directions. I should be able to recognize it."

"Now hold on just a minute!" Hugh suddenly cried. Mia and Phoenix both turned their attention back to him. "I am not going anywhere until someone explains who this woman is and why she knows that my family has been in a car accident."

Phoenix clenched his hand into a fist as his side. "Dad, we don't have time! I just need you to trust me here."

"Trust you? Phoenix, there's a strange woman walking around my house wearing a teenager's clothes! I need something to go on here!"

Phoenix closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to relax himself. "Dad, listen to me. I understand why you're confused, I really do. But if I try to explain this all to you right here, you'll think I'm crazy! And each second we're standing here, Maya, Trucy, mom… They're all out there in this storm! So please, just trust me. I swear Mia and I will explain everything along the way." He extended a hand to Hugh. "Please dad. Believe in me for once."

Hugh looked first at Mia, then at Phoenix, and finally at Phoenix's hand. He finally let out a defeated sigh. "Alright son. I trust you. Come on. My truck is in the garage. It should get us through the snow with ease."

* * *

December 24  
6:14 PM  
Utah

"Maya, I still can't get over what you just did!" Emma exclaimed. "I've never seen anything so amazing!"

Maya giggled. "Thanks a lot, Emma. Truth be told, I was reluctant to go through with because I was afraid I'd scare you to death!" She explained. "But thanks goodness you're more impressed than scared."

"Why would I be scared, dear? That's something I never thought I'd see in my life! Not to mention, your sister is such a sweetheart!" Emma put a hand to her mouth and laughed. "Now I can't help but see the irony when I told you that the ones we lose never leave us!"

Trucy suddenly chimed in from the back seat. "It really was nice seeing Aunt Mia again. I haven't seen her since my last birthday party!"

Maya craned her head over her shoulder and smiled at the girl. "Well I'll have to set aside some auntie-niece bonding time, won't I? I'm sure sis would love to actually get to know you a little batter, Truce."

Trucy beamed. "And I'd love to get to know her better, too!"

Emma then spoke up again. "Not to break the mood or anything, but are certain she was able to reach little Pearly and get Hugh and Phoenix? It's been awhile now."

Maya folded her arms across her chest. "Truth be told, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she had to bust some sense into your husband and my boyfriend for being at each other's throats"

Emma let out an audible groan. "I truly hope your wrong about that. Hugh's been wanting to make things right with Phoenix for a year now."

"If you don't mind my asking," Maya started. "What made him have such a change of heart? Nick's told me about how he and Hugh don't really see eye to eye."

Emma's face fell. "I assumed he had. Yes, it's true that the two of them haven't gotten along for a while. But Hugh realized how harsh he'd been to Phoenix last year. During that awful UR-1 trial."

"The UR-1 trial?" trucy asked. "Wait, you mean when I…" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Yes." Emma confirmed. "When you were held hostage at that Space Center. The trial was broadcast on live television. And when he watched it, it really opened Hugh's eyes about what kind of person Phoenix was. I'd always believed in Phoenix. I knew he wasn't like that awful- Oh, sorry. I was about to say too much."

Maya shook her head at the woman. "No, I think I know what you were going to say. It's about that man who shot Hugh, isn't it? Nick showed me the case file. I can't believe anyone would want to hurt him, Emma. Especially after that beautiful story about how the two of you met."

Emma took a deep breath as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. "That awful man nearly took my Hugh from me. And the distrust he put in my husband tore my family apart. I'm… I'm a generally nice woman, Maya. I swear I am. But I can never forgive that man. He's truly the one person in this world I can truly say that I hate." Emma could feel the tears flowing down her cheeks as Maya leaned across the vehicle and enveloped the woman in a hug.

"I know what you mean, Emma. There are plenty of people in this world I truly despise. The man who took my sis. The man who ruined my mother's reputation… I don't like saying it, but I hate them. And that's hard for me to say, because the teachings of my clan try to enforce the idea that we shouldn't hate anyone." Maya could feel tears of her own beginning to slide down her cheek as she held the older woman close. "But I can't help it! My family was stolen from me for nothing but power and fortune!"

Maya and Emma suddenly felt another pair of arms around them. They looked to see Trucy joining in on the hug, her eyes beginning to water. "Maybe I haven't had it as bad as you both, but I know the feeling too. After daddy adopted me, I never got to see my old daddy again. I have daddy now, but I still miss him. And I hate the man that made him go away. Polly's old boss, Kristoph Gavin. He made my old daddy go away and ruined daddy's life. And I can never forgive him for all of it!"

Maya and Maya pulled the young girl close, and the three women wept together until a bright pair of headlights shown on them. The all looked up to see two spikey headed men and a tall slender woman, wearing a large coat step out of the truck.

"Maya! Mom! Trucy! You guys ok!?" Phoenix cried out.

"It's Nick and Hugh!" Maya cried as she broke from the group hug and leapt out of her door. Emma and Trucy shortly followed suit.

"Nick!" Maya cried out as she threw her arms around her boyfriend, who happily returned the hug.

"Maya! I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried when Mia told us something had happened." Phoenix said as held his girlfriend tight.

Maya nuzzled into Phoenix's chest. "I knew you'd come for us."

"Daddy!" Trucy suddenly appeared and threw her arms around the two.

"Phoenix chuckled and put an arm around the young magician. "Hey there, sweetie. You're not hurt are you?"

Trucy shook her head. "No, I'm ok. Just a few scrapes."

"Hugh!" The group heard Emma cry. They turned to see the older woman throw her arms around her husband. Hugh happily returned the embrace. "Emma, I'm glad you're alright. I didn't know what to think when that woman showed up in our house saying you'd been in an accident."

Emma pulled slightly out of the embrace and looked at her husband. "Oh, you met Mia too? Isn't she such a sweetheart, dear!?"

Hugh chuckled. "She sure is. Pretty lively one for a dead woman!" The two busted out laughing as if they'd heard the funniest joke ever before they held each other close again.

Maya turned back to Phoenix. "So, Nick, did you smooth things out with your dad? Or do we have to leave you two home alone again."

Phoenix looked at his father, a slight smile playing upon his lips. "I think we've got a long way to go, Maya. But I think he and I get along again."

"Well good. I don't want to have to leave the house and get caught in another snowstorm."

"Speaking of which." Said another voice. Everyone turned their attention to the where the voice originated from to see Mia, who appeared to shivering rather hard. "Can we please get moving? Aside from the fact that I am NOT dressed for this weather, Phoenix told me Pearly is sick, which is only making me feel COLDER!"

"Oh, sis! I completely forgot about you!" Maya cried as she rushed over and enveloped her sister in a hug. "It's good to see you again!"

Mia, her whole body shivering, pulled Maya as close to her as she could, supposedly trying to steal her body heat. "Yes, yes, it's great to see you too, Maya. But really, can we PLEASE get moving!?"

Hugh and Emma joined the others, chuckling. "I agree. We can all talk when we get home and cozy up next to the fireplace!"

"Yeah, let's get out of here before Mia catches her death." Phoenix said. This earned him a smack to the back of the head from Mia.

The group finally began to head to the truck when a sudden gust of wind blew over them and snatched up Trucy's hat.

"Ah! My hat!" Trucy cried.

"Trucy! Be careful!" Phoenix cried out and began to follow after his daughter.

Trucy finally managed to snatch her hat out of the air and shouted back. "Don't worry daddy, I'll be fi-AAAAAAH!" The girl suddenly cried out as another gust of wind blew and girl fell over and appeared to vanish.

"TRUCY!" The entire group cried out and rushed to where she was. Phoenix's eyes nearly popped out of his head at what he saw.

Hanging from what appeared to be a sheer cliff face was his daughter, barely hanging onto the rocks with her gloved fingers.

"DADDY! HEEEEEEELP!"


	16. Don't Stop Believing

**A/N: Bet you guys thought leave you (And Trucy) hanging for a while, didn't you? Heck, I thought it'd be awhile before I got around to finishing this, but as it turns out, you should never underestimate Red Bull! I think this actually may be one of my favorite chapters, because I feel managed to actually get some real suspense in. I also love that the irony of leaving on a LITERAL cliffhanger was not lost on you guys.**

 **Shoutouts to the reviews from chapter 15:**

 **thepudz: If we fet to see Mia and Trucy interact in AA6 and she DOESN'T call her Aunt Mia, I will be HIGH:Y disappointed!**

 **Skyiesthelimit: I certainly hope this chapter was worth the whole 24-ish hour wait!**

 **jaredhiro: Hee! I get it!**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: You come back here and enjoy my puns, NOW! XD**

 **JordanPhoenix: Truth be told, the part where they started talking about their woes and comforting each other just kinda came to me outta the blue when I realized that Maya could realy sympathize with Emma.**

 **Skillet28561: Yeah, ain't I a stinker? :D**

 **Melody Rose Gold: Hm, will they be able to save her in time? Well I guess you'll just have to read on and find out! :D**

 **Multifangirl6: I had alot of fun with the interactions in that chapter. Especially when Phoenix cracked the death joke about Phoenix.**

 **Also wanna take the chance to dedicate this chapter to JordanPhoenix, who gave me the idea of adding Mia to the story in the first place. Now, I'll shut up and let you guys to reading. Enjoy chapter 16!**

* * *

December 24  
6:04 PM  
Klavier Gavin's Penthouse Suite

Klavier stepped out of his shower and began drying his hair as he headed for his medicine cabinet and pulled out the roll of gauze. He quickly wrap his hand up again, noting that the wound from the day before was already beginning to heal. However he feared it would end up leaving an ugly scar.

Once his hand was securely wrapped, he went to work on his hair. One can imagine it takes some time to properly style his hair into its usual style. However, having grown used to this, Klavier takes about half an hour to get it just how he likes. He finally make sit into his bedroom and throws on a pair of black pants and a sweater he had purchased the day before. It was just his favorite shade of purple and featured Santa Claus shredding on a guitar. It wasn't really to Klavier's taste, but he figured he'd get into the festive spirit. He grabbed Ema's wrapped gift off his nightstand and headed for the kitchen, checking on the Snackoos. The chocolate covering them had finally become a hard shell, so he took several plastic baggies and filled them with the chocolate snacks. _I certainly hope she likes cinnamon._ He thought. He found a discarded shopping bag and stuffed both the lab coat and the snacks into it. Just as he was about to call the elevator and leave, he heard Schrodinger meow from behind him. He turned around to see the young kitten sitting atop the sofa. He chuckled to himself and walked over to the small animal.

"Hello, Schrodinger. Papa has to go away for a little while" He said as he petted the small kitten, who rubbed against his hand, purring.

It was then that Klavier took notice of something. He looked at the coffee table to see two unopened boxes.

"Ah, it seems Herr Forehead and Fraulein Cykes forget their gifts, ja?" He said out loud. Schrodinger meowed in response. He sighed to himself. "I will have to remember to take those to them eventually." He then looked at his wall clock. "However, right now, I must be going to fraulein detective's." He rubbed Schrodinger's head one more time and he headed for the elevator. "Be a good boy now, Schrodinger." He called back to the kitten before stepping into the elevator.

* * *

December 24  
6:37 PM  
Utah

"TRUCY!" Phoenix cried out as he looked down as his daughter, who was dangling over a long drop to a forested area below. He lay down in the snow on his stomach and extended his hand to the girl. "Take my hand, baby girl!"

"I-I can't daddy! If I let go with one hand, I'll fall!" Trucy cried from below. Phoenix looked down to see that the girl was just out of his reach anyway. He jumped to his feet and looked around at everyone.

"What are gonna do!? We have to get her!" Phoenix cried. Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do. "Come on!" Phoenix yelled. "Someone has to have an idea!"

"Phoenix, calm down!" Hugh suddenly cried as he stepped up to his son.

"Calm down? Calm down!? My daughter is hanging from a cliff and you tell me to calm down!?" Phoenix was only getting louder as he grabbed Hugh by the collar and got in his face. Mia stepped in and pushed the two men apart.

"Phoenix, stop it!" Mia cried. "You DO need to calm down! We all know what's going on here, but you need to calm down and think rationally, otherwise you'll be no use to anyone, let alone Trucy!"

Phoenix was taken aback by her words and looked at everyone around him. Their faces easily showed that they agreed with Mia. The spikey-haired lawyer closed his eyes tight and began to take deep breaths for several seconds. Finally, he opened them again. "You're right, Chief. I'm ok now. Now, does anyone have an idea?"

"I have one." Hugh said. Phoenix looked at the man to see that while he'd been taking deep breaths, Hugh had rushed back to the truck and now held a rope in his hands.

"A rope? I think I see what you're getting at dad, but it's a big risk to have Trucy let go with the weather the way it is." Phoenix said.

"Then it's a good thing we're not lowering this rope down to her." He said as he began to tie the rope around his waist. "You're going to lower me down there and I'm going to grab her."

Phoenix's eyes widened at this suggestion. "A-are you crazy!? It would be better for you to lower me down there."

Hugh shook his head. "No, Phoenix, it wouldn't. I'm old. I might not be able to hold both you and Trucy. Surely you have a lot more upper body strength than I do. Carrying Trucy shouldn't be too hard. The girl's small and should be pretty light." He handed the end of the rope to Phoenix. "Now c'mon! We don't have time to argue about this!"

Emma stepped up to her husband and grabbed his arm. "Hugh, this is insane! There has to be another way!"

Hugh pulled his arm free. "Maybe there is, Emma, but we don't have time to think about it!"

Meanwhile, Phoenix looked at the end of the rope in his hand. The rope wasn't very long, but it was more than enough to reach Trucy. He looked back to his father. "Dad-"

He was quickly cut off by Hugh. "Phoenix, you asked me to trust you back at the house. Now I need to ask you to do the same. Please son, you have to trust me. Believe in me."

Phoenix's eyes grew wide as his father said these words. _Believe in me._

 _He wants me… To believe in him?_ He looked at his father's for a moment to see a look of grim determination. _I… I've built my entire life on a foundation of believing in others. So if he needs me to believe in him, then that's exactly what I'm gonna do!_

"Alright dad, let's get to it!" Phoenix said. Hugh nodded and the two men headed to the ledge.

* * *

December 24  
6:53 PM  
Ema Skye's Apartment

Ema Skye placed a sheet full of dinner rolls into her oven and let out a sigh. _Finally_ She thought as she removed her oven mitts. _Thought I'd never get all this done._ She checked the clock on her kitchen wall. _And just in time. The fop'll be here in a minute._

She rushed to the bathroom connected to her bedroom and gave her hair a quick was rather than taking a shower. Drying her hair, she opted to leave it down, rather than bother putting it into her usual topknot style. She next entered her bedroom and through on a pair of red sweatpants and a green Christmas sweater adorned with atoms and various types of beakers and test tubes. As she began to fix her hair, she finally heard her doorbell ring. She gave the clock a quick glance. _Seven on the dot. Think that's the first time I've seen him on time for anything._

She quickly finished fixing her hair and made her way to her front door. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. _Welp, time for Christmas with the fop!_

She pulled open the front door. "Hey Gavin, Merry Christmas."

* * *

December 24  
6:40 PM  
Utah

Phoenix had his feet planted firmly in the snow, with Mia and Maya helping to hold him in place as Hugh slowly descended the cliff face. It seemed as if hours passed as he made his way down to Trucy, however, it was really only a few seconds. Finally he reached Trucy's level and smiled at the girl as he inched his way closer.

"Don't worry, Trucy. Grandpa's here to get you." He said in a calming voice.

"H-hurry grandpa! I don't know how much longer I can hold on!" Trucy cried.

Hugh nodded as he finally reached the girl. He put one arm around the girl's waist and held onto her tight. "Alright sweetie, I need you to let go and put your arms around my neck. Can you do that for me?"

"Y-yes." Trucy said as she looked at her grandfather.

"Ok," Hugh said, still speaking in the calmest voice he could. "On three, alright?" Trucy nodded. Hugh looked up at Phoenix at the top of the ledge. "You hear that, everyone?!"

"Yeah! We're ready when you are, dad!" Phoenix cried back. Phoenix and the girls steeled their grip and prepared to pull the two up.

"Alright…" Hugh got himself ready. "One!" Hugh tightened his grip on Trucy. "Two!" Phoenix dug his feet deeper into the snow. "… THREE!"

The world seemed to go in slow motion as Trucy released her grip on the rocks and tossed her arms around Hugh's neck. The rope pulled taught as the extra weight was added. Phoenix, Mia, and Maya all gritted their teeth as they pulled on the rope to keep from dropping the two. Phoenix's feet slid forward ever so slightly, but he refused to budge any further.

"You got her, dad!?" Phoenix cried down at the older man.

"Yeah! I got her! Start pulling us up whenever you're ready!" Hugh shouted back.

"Right!" Phoenix cried. He craned his head over his shoulder and looked at his mother. "Mom, get ready to grab Trucy and pull her up!"

Emma nodded with a determined expression on her face. "Right." She said as she made her way over to the ledge and knelt down, ready to pull Trucy up as soon as she was close enough.

Phoenix and the girls then got to work pulling the two back up. Little by little, the rope began to pile up at their feet. Finally, the antennae of Trucy's hair popped up above the ledge.

"Emma, take her!" Hugh cried as he leaned forward just enough for Emma to reach the girl. Trucy grabbed onto Emma's arms at the elbows and Trucy did the same. As soon as the two had a good grip on each other, Trucy dug her boots into the side of cliff face as Emma pulled the girl up with all her might, Mia rushing over to help the older woman. Finally, with one final pull, Trucy was brought up onto solid ground again and collapsed onto her grandmother.

"Grandma!" Trucy cried as she threw her arms around the woman. "I was so scared! I thought I was gonna die!" She said as she began to release the tears she'd been holding back.

"Shhhh," Emma cooed. "It's ok sweetie. You're safe now."

Phoenix took a moment to look at the scene and smile before turning his attention back to Hugh. "Alright dad, it's your turn." He held out a hand to his father and the two grabbed hold at the each other's wrists. Phoenix was just about to start pulling his father up…

When the rope snapped.

"Ah!" The two men cried out in unison as the rope snapped between them. Due to Hugh's grip on Phoenix, Phoenix found himself pulled down with him.

"NIIIIICK!"

"PHOENIX! HUGH!"

"DADDY! GRANDPA!"

Everyone rushed over to the ledge to make sure the two men were alright.

* * *

December 24  
7:01 PM  
Ema Skye's apartment

Klavier stood for a moment at the front door as Ema greeted him. In all the time he'd known the detective, he couldn't remember ever seeing her quite so… Colorful.

She was wearing pair of bright red sweatpants as well as a comfortable looking science themed green Christmas sweater. However what was most striking to Klavier was that she had long chocolate brown hair pulled down to its full length rather than done up in its usual topknot. Klavier hated to admit it…

But Ema Skye was beautiful.

He was suddenly pulled back into reality as Ema snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Hey, fop! Quit staring of into space! The longer you're standing there, the more heat I'm losing in here."

"Huh? O-oh! Sorry, Fraulein." Klavier stuttered as he stepped into the apartment. Ema sighed and closed the door behind him.

Klavier began to examine the apartment when Ema once again got his attention, this time by whistling. He spun around to look at the girl

"Shoes off at the door." She said, pointing down at Klavier's feet.

Klavier immediately got the hint and set the bag he was holding down on the floor as he busied himself with untying his shoes. Pulling them off, he discarded them by the door before picking his bag back up.

The two looked at each other for a moment before Klavier once again began looking around the apartment. "You're apartment is lovely, Fraulein."

Contrary to the girl's workspace, which was constantly in a state of disarray, Ema's apartment was actually rather clean and looked as though the young woman took care to keep it that way.

"Ya don't have to be nice, Gavin. I've seen your penthouse. By comparison, this place is practically a slum." Ema said as looked off to the side at nothing particular.

"Nein, I mean it, Fraulein! There is a certain quaint feel to it that I like. Bigger does not always necessarily mean better, ja?"

"Yeah, whatever you say. Hey, go ahead and take a seat on the couch if you want. The food should be ready in just a bit." With that, Ema headed off towards what Klavier could only assume to be the kitchen.

Klavier made his way over to the couch and set the bag down. Just as he was about to sit down, their was a knock at the door.

"Who in the-" Klavier heard the woman say from the kitchen. "Hey Klavier, could you get that? I'm a little busy."

"Of course, Fraulein." The prosecutor said and made his way to the front door. He pulled it open.

"Yeeeeehaw! Howdy there, pardner!" Cried the dark skinned man at the door.

Klavier looked at the man in stunned silence before turning his head slightly, not taking his eyes off the strangely dressed man at the door. "Er, Fraulein, there is a… Cowpoke at your front door."

Ema entered the room from the kitchen and her eyes widened when she saw the man. "Jake!? What are you doing here!?" She cried as she rushed over and threw her arms around the man. "I thought you and sis would be in Texas by now."

"PARIS, Texas, Ema!" Cried a voice from behind Jake. Ema looked around the man to see Lana Skye making her way up the steps to the apartment.

"Sis!? I-I don't- Ugh, both of you get in here!" Ema cried and pulled the two new arrivals inside. The two of them quickly made to remove theirs shoes. Or, in Jake's case, boots. "Seriously, what are you guys doing here!? I thought you'd already left."

Lana sighed as she pulled off her leather coat. "Well, that was the plan," She started. "But our flight got cancelled because of a snowstorm en route"

Ema shook her head. "I still don't get why you guys would bother flying there instead of driving."

"Because Jake's beat up old pickup truck is definitely not up to the task of a trip from LA to Paris-"

"Texas." Ema interrupted.

"PARIS." Lana emphasized the word before continuing. "And you already know that I don't have a license."

Ema processed this before speaking again. "Alright, fair enough, but what about buses?"

Lana shook her head. "When we checked before, all the buses were booked. We just checked again and they've all been cancelled too."

"Yep," Jake interrupted. Lana and Ema turned to look at the man and see him shaving his scruffy chin with his hunting knife. "It's a darn shame, is what it is, bambina." He then tipped his hat to Ema. "But, at least it means we can enjoy a nice ho-down here with you and your pardner here." He said, tilting his head to the side to indicate Klavier, who was still looking at the man with a strange look on his face.

"Oh! I almost forgot you were here, Klavier." Ema said as she stepped between the two men. "Jake, this is Klavier Gavin, the prosecutor I work my cases with." She said, gesturing to the German man. "And Klavier, this is Jake Marshall. He's my sister's fiancé. He also works as a solo country musician at local bars and whatnot."

"Well, it sure is nice to make your acquaintance, prospector!" Jake cried as he reached out a hand to Klavier.

Klavier took the man's hand and shook it. "Er, i-it is nice to meet you too, Herr Cowpoke." He managed to stutter out.

Jake then suddenly tilted his head to the side, as if inspecting Klavier. "Now wait just a second, pardner." He said. "Your name's Gavin, right?"

"Yes, that is my last name. Is something the matter?" Klavier asked.

"Gavin… Gavin… Why does that name ring a cow bell?" Jake continued to rack his brain before it finally came to him. "Yeehaw! I got it now! You wouldn't happen to be related to a feller named Kristoph, would ya?"

At the mention of that name, Klavier's face fell. But he replied nonetheless. "J-ja. That is… My brother."

"Well ain't this just a small world!" Jake cried.

Lana looked at her fiancé. "Jake, sweetie, how do you know Kristoph?"

"Well shoot, bambina, dontcha remember? He was my attorney way back when! He's the feller that got me a reduced sentence for stealin' evidence and attackin' that officer."

* * *

December 24  
6:43 PM  
Utah

Phoenix held onto the ledge with all his might with one hand and held onto his father with the other. He made the mistake of looking down and swallowed a lump in his throat when he saw just how far they were about to fall.

"D-dad! Are you ok!?" He cried down to his father.

Hugh looked up at his son. "I-I'm fine, Phoenix!"

"Don't worry dad! I'm not letting go! We're both gonna make it outta this!"

"Ph-Phoenix, you need to let me go." Hugh said.

Phoenix's eyes widened at this. "A-are you insane!? You'll die!"

"If you keep holding me, you're going to lose your grip and we'll BOTH die! Better you survive than me!" Hugh explained.

"Hugh! Phoenix!" Emma suddenly cried from above them. Phoenix looked up to see the worried faces of the four women. "We're going to pull you up, don't worry!" Phoenix then felt a pair of hands grab his arm.

"Phoenix! You have to let me go!" Hugh urged the man. "If you don't-"

"Shut up!" Phoenix suddenly cried. "I'm NOT letting go, dad! Not for anything!" Hugh looked up at his son, his mouth agape. "You asked me to believe in you, dad, and I did! And you saved Trucy! Now I'm gonna return the favor and save you!" Phoenix felt another pair of hands grab his arm. "I have NEVER in my life given up on someone who I believe in and I'll be damned if I'm gonna start now!" Yet another pair of hands grabbed Phoenix. "And aside from that, you're my father! I'd never be able to look at myself in the mirror again if I let go right now! So no matter what you say, no matter what you think," One more pair of hands grabbed Phoenix and he felt himself being pulled up. "I AM NOT GIVING UP ON YOU!"

With one final pull, Phoenix found his feet on solid ground again. The girls all reached out and grabbed ahold of Hugh and pulled him up over the ledge, sending everyone sprawling backward.

The group all laid there in a pile for a moment, fighting to catch their breath. Finally, Emma broke the silence.

"Is-Is everyone alright?"

"Y-yeah." Phoenix managed to say between ragged breaths,

"I-I'm ok." Maya said.

"Same… Here." Trucy added.

"I'm in one piece, at least." Hugh confirmed.

That left all but one person accounted for. Everyone quickly scrambled to their feet and began to search for Mia. It turned out they didn't need to look far, as she had been collapsed on the ground along with everyone else. Except it wasn't Mia. At some point, Mia had apparently lost her connection to the world of the living, and Pearl's spirit had returned, leaving the exhausted girl unconscious. Phoenix knelt down and scooped the young girl up his arms. "Get some rest, Pearls. You've more than earned it." He then placed a soft kiss on the girl's fore head before looking around at everyone. "I think it's about time we get out of here."

Everyone nodded in agreement and headed for the truck. Everyone hopped inside, Trucy, Emma, and Maya in the back seat. Phoenix was about to take the shotgun seat, holding Pearl in his lap, when Hugh tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to face the man.

"Phoenix… I-I just…" He trailed off for a moment. "I just wanted to thank you. For not letting go. After everything I've done, I don't think anyone would have blamed you."

Phoenix shook his head. "You're wrong. A lot of people would have blamed me. Mom, Trucy, Maya,… I don't think they'd ever be able to look at me the same way. But none of that mattered." Phoenix turned around briefly and sat Pearl's sleeping form in the passenger's seat before turning around to face his father again. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Not just because you're my father. But also because I've lived my whole life and never once given up on someone. And I don't intend to start. Not now. Not ever."

Hugh looked at his son. Deep inside himself, he could feel his heart swelling. Swelling with pride for the man his son had become. Hugh had said horrible things to this man for years. Things that might have shattered any other man's resolve. But not Phoenix. Through everything life had thrown at him, Phoenix had grown to be the type of person most only dream of. He'd become a man with an unbreakable resolve, and an unwavering faith in others.

And Hugh couldn't have been more proud.

Hugh reached and grabbed his son, pulling him a tight embrace. "I'm so proud of you, son."

Phoenix returned the hug with just as much strength. "Thank you, dad… I love you."

The three girls in the backseat watched the scene with bright smiles on their faces until the two men finally broke apart.

Hugh kept his hands on Phoenix's shoulders. "Now, c'mon. Let's go home."


	17. It's Beginning to Feel alot like Klemas!

**A/N: Phew! Man, this one took awhile. I never thought this chapter would be so long. Over 6,000 words! Usually my chapters barely hit 3,000, so this is a long one for me. Either way, I'm glad to finally have this one out of the way! It means I can finally move onto to the, hopefully, final chapter! It's been a blast writing this story, but I will be SO glad to get it knocked out so I can go back to working on Ace Mommy and start writing the next installment in the series.**

 **Shoutouts to the reviews from chapter 16:**

 **Skillet28561: Perhaps I should do something with Diego. I haven't really thought much about using him, honestly.**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: STREET LIGHT! PEOPLE! Haha,yes, I believe we all have our crazy moments. ANyone who doesn't is either a boring or a liar!**

 **ForsakenMythr201: I may be a cruel person (for examples, just see what I did to Apollo in my first two stories) but killing a man around Christmas is cold hearted even for me! And I can;t wait! I'm really hoping for some Phaya goodness in the new game!**

 **ZardX: Hee! If I managed to give my poor readers heart attacks, then I guess I did something right with these two chapters. Also, I'd like to personally thank you. Your eview actually gave me the idea to mention something about the shape of Klavier's wound.**

 **thepudz: I'm glad you liked it! And don't worry, I love Trucy too much to actually go through with hurting her.**

 **JordanPhoenix: Well, after Jake stopped being an officer, he had to do something, right? Why not sing!?**

 **Multifangirl6: Hopefully the events in Ema's apartment please the reader! I worked hard on this chapter, so I hope everyone comes out happy.**

 **Rman8018: Hopefully the next day after leaving your review is fast enough for you, dear reader!**

 **Now, let's get this show on the road with chapter 17!**

* * *

December 24  
7:11 PM  
Ema Skye's apartment

Jake turned back to Klavier. "So how is that brother of yours?" He asked the blonde haired prosecutor.

Ema looked at her guest and could tell he was beginning to feel uncomfortable. For whatever reason, she felt she should intervene and spoke. "You guys are actually just in time! The food is just about ready, I just need to get the rolls out of the oven."

"Hoo-wee!" Jake whooped. "I thought I smelled something delicious in the air. What we got on the menu tonight, bambina?"

"Well, we've got ham in place of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, and… Y'know what, just go see for yourselves! Take a seat and grab a plate!" Ema cried as she shooed her sister and the man into the kitchen. Just as she was about to enter the kitchen herself, Klavier stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder at the man.

"Thank you, Fraulein." He said earnestly.

"Thank me for what?"

Klavier flashed the detective a knowing smile. "You know what for. I was very clearly uncomfortable at the mention of mein bruder. Thank you for helping me avoid the subject."

Ema's cheeks burned a slight shade of red and she quickly turned her head away to hide her blush. "D-don't mention it, fop! C'mon, let's go grab some food before Jake gets it all." With that, the young detective made her way into the kitchen, leaving Klavier in the living room by himself.

The German man smiled to himself. _Note to self: Give Fraulein Detective a raise at earliest possible convenience._

* * *

December 24  
7:23 PM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix made his way downstairs, having just taken Pearl to the guest room. The young girl was still out like a light, having apparently expended all her energy by channeling Mia for so long. Running a fever at the time certainly hadn't helped either. As he reached the bottom step, he saw Hugh and Emma, seated close to each other on the sofa as Emma flipped through the channels.

"I can't believe I can't find a single Christmas special on right now. Where's the Christmas spirt!?" Emma cried out.

Hugh chuckled as he placed an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Are you kidding? You passed five or six, by my count!"

"But they're not the CLASSICS, Hugh! Where's Charlie Brown? Where's the Grinch? Where Scrooge!?"

Maya entered the room from the kitchen. "If you're looking for Scrooge, just look over there." She said, pointing at Phoenix.

Normally, Phoenix would have scowled at her. But having just escaped death, he was in a much better mood. "What was it you told Athena? I'm like Scrooge without the money?" He said as he stepped up to the woman with a smile on his face.

"Yep! And I stand by that claim, ya humbug!" Maya cried, poking the man in the chest.

Phoenix grabbed the woman's hand and placed it over his heart as he pulled her into a hug. "Maybe, but I'm your humbug. So get used to it!"

Maya smiled and nuzzled into the man's chest. "Yes, you are."

"Uuuugh!" Came an annoyed voice from behind the two. The lawyer and medium looked to see Trucy entering the room, carrying a tray full of mugs. "Get a room, you two!"

Phoenix let out a hearty chuckle as he walked up to his daughter and ruffled her hair, for the first time since the ordeal on the cliff noticing that she wasn't wearing her hat. He assumed she must not have been successful in retrieving it. "What, you don't like seeing Mommy and Daddy getting all lovey?"

Trucy giggled as she set her tray down on the coffee table. "I'm just picking on you, daddy." The young girl then grabbed a mug off the tray and handed one to her father. "Here, drink up! I made my special hot chocolate for everyone."

Phoenix smiled and grabbed the mug. "Thanks sweetie. You make the best hot chcolate."

"Oh! I found one!" Emma suddenly cried out. Everyone turned their attention to the television in time to see the opening of _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ beginning to play.

"Really mom? Isn't this more of a Halloween movie?" Phoenix asked as he took a seat on the sofa. Maya joined him shortly, a mug of hot chocolate in hand.

"It's a Christmas AND Halloween movie, Phoenix! It's a timeless classic!" Emma said as she accepted a mug from Trucy.

"I gotta agree with her, Nick. How can anyone hate a movie by Tim Burton that has a skeleton impersonating Santa!?" Maya said from next to him as she sipped from her mug.

"I dunno," Trucy chimed in as she took a seat in the recliner. "I really think it's too creepy for Christmas."

"That's my girl!" Phoenix said as he raised his mug in the air.

"What about you, Hugh? You agree with me, right?" Emma questioned her husband.

Hugh's eyes shifted from person to person in the room before he held up his hands in defeat. "I gotta fold here, Phoenix. She's my wife after all."

"Traitor." Phoenix said under his breath as he brought his mug to his lips.

* * *

December 24  
7:42 PM  
Ema Skye's Apartment

"So at this, that boy is good n' drunk, so he decides it's a good idea to climb up on stage and start sayin' all this to my face." Jake said as he stuck a piece of ham in his mouth and chewed before continuing his story. "Now, ya gotta remember here, I'm a generally easy goin' feller, but when ya get in my face, you're askin' fer a straight Mexican stand-off!"

Klavier was only half listening to the cowboy obsessed man's tale. It wasn't that he didn't find Jake's story amusing. He just couldn't get his mind off what the man had said earlier.

 _Of course Herr Cowpoke was once my brother's client. Why not? God forbid I get to spend Christmas Eve in good company and not be reminded of my family's sins._

Klavier was pulled from his own thoughts when Jake suddenly whistled. "Huh!? O-oh, my apologies, Herr Cowpoke. Did you need something?"

"Spacing out at the dinner table," Jake said, his head tilted forward, causing his hat to cover his face. He then brought his hand up and pointed at the prosecutor in a way that made it look like he was holding a gun. "They shoot ya for that in Texas!"

Klavier flinched and his eyes went wide at this. "F-forgive me! I-I did not mean to disrespect you or your homeland of Texas!"

Lana let out a loud chuckled from next to her fiancé. "Klavier, no need to apologize. You didn't offend anyone. And Jake's not from Texas."

"R-really?"

"Shoot, bambina, can't ya let me have a little fun? Ah well. Anyway, compadre, I was tryin' to ask ya something." He tilted his head to the side to indicate Ema. "The little bambina here tells me ya play a little music yerself. Was wonderin' if ya happened to have your guitar with ya. We could sit and play a bit after dinner."

Ema began to look flustered. "Oh, no no, Jake. I don't think you and him would play well together. He's-"

Seeing a chance to mess with Ema a bit, Klavier seized the opportunity. "Certainly, Herr Cowpoke. What self-respecting musician does not keep his guitar at the ready? I would love to partake in a jam session with you."

Ema groaned and buried her face in her hands, causing Lana to snicker at her sister.

"Yeehaw!" Jake whooped. "Tell me, pardner, ya know how to play the Devil went Down to Georgia?"

Klavier tensed up at that word. _Devil._ "I-I'm sorry, Herr Cowpoke, what was that? I don't think I heard you."

"Ya got corn in yer ears boy? I said Devil Went Down to Georgia. One o' the greatest songs of all time by the great Charlie Daniels!"

 _That's what I thought you said._ Klavier looked down at his hand, looking over his rushed bandage job and began thinking about what lay underneath. He was certain he'd be getting a scar from where the glass had cut him. _With my luck, I'll end up with a matching scar to Kristoph's._

Klavier put down his fork and stood from the dinner table. "I think some air. Fraulein, do you perhaps have a balcony or a porch?" He asked Ema.

"Uh, yeah, through the screen door by the fridge." Ema replied, pointing over her shoulder.

"Danke, Fraulein." Klavier said in a monotone voice and made his way to the door and stepped out onto the balcony.

"Now what's gotten into the prospector? He got somethin' against classic country?" Jake asked.

"I'm not sure. Something seemed to be bothering him." Lana said. She turned her attention to her younger sister. "Ema, maybe you should go talk to him."

Ema groaned. "Why me?!"

"Because he's YOUR guest!"

"Uuuuugh, fine!" Ema stood from her seat and made her way out on to the porch. As she stepped out, Klavier glanced over his shoulder. He was leaning against the wooden railing of the balcony.

"Oh, it's you, Fraulein. What are you doing here?" Klavier asked.

"Well, other than the fact that this is my apartment, my sis said you looked like something was bothering you." Ema walked up next to the prosecutor and leaned against the railing. "So, what's on your mind, Fop? Bothered by Jake asking you to play some country?"

"Nein, it has nothing to do with Herr Cowpoke's taste in music, questionable though it may be." Klavier said. "It's… that word."

"What word? Georgia? Whaddya have against Georgia? Have a bad experience with a peach?" Ema asked, giggling at her own joke.

"Nein, Fraulein. The OTHER word." He trailed off for a moment. "Devil."

"Devil? Well, I mean, nobody likes him, really. Well, except for Satanists, but I didn't take you for the relig-" Ema cut herself when she realized the meaning of the word to the man. It was also at that moment that she noticed him looking down at his bandaged hand. "Oh, that's right. Your brother…"

"Ja." Silence hung in the air between the two for a moment before Klavier suddenly balled his bandaged hand into a fist and slammed it down on the railing. "DAMN IT! I was hoping I could spend just one holiday without my brother's ghost hanging over me!"

"Whoa, calm down there. Can't have you breaking my railing."

Klavier took a deep breath. "My apologies. I've been letting my temper get to me today."

Ema regarded the sad looking man beside her. In all the time she'd known Klavier, she'd never seen him quite so down. And she never thought it would bother her so much.

"You… You, uh, wanna talk about it?" Ema asked.

"What is there to talk about, Fraulein?"

"I dunno… I just… Feel like maybe you could use someone to talk to. You look really bummed. Maybe getting things off your chest will help." Ema replied as she fiddled with her hair. _What the hell am I thinking!? Even if he talks to me about what's bugging him, it's not like I can help. That's more Red's department._

Klavier sighed and remained silent for a moment. I a heavy silence hung in the air between them, making Ema feel uncomfortable. She was just about to open her mouth and speak when Klavier spoke up.

"You know Fraulein, I envy you."

Ema was taken aback by this, giving the German man the strangest look she could muster. "What? You envy ME?"

Klavier nodded, causing the young woman to laugh.

"You've gotta be kidding. You're a rich, famous, rockstar prosecutor! What in the world could you possibly envy about me?"

"You have family." Was all Klavier said.

Ema suddenly felt horrible. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Klavier said. "The relationship you have with your schwester, I used to have that with Kristoph. He was like my idol. Everything I did, he could so much better."

"Even music?"

Klavier nodded. "Ja. You may not have guessed it, but Kristoph is actually quite the musician. Albeit more classy instruments, such as the harp and the piano." A small smile crept onto Klavier's face. "He was the one who turned me toward the musical path. When I was ten, he pleaded with my parents to buy me a guitar, and when they did, he was the one who taught me how to play."

Ema was shocked by this fact. "Really? He's the one who taught you to play?"

"Ja. You can only imagine the reaction he had when he realized I was taking the path of rock music rather than classical or orchestral."

Ema chuckled. "I would pay to have seen his reaction."

Klavier laughed as well. "It was quite the sight to behold. It took about ten minutes to bring him back to consciousness after he fainted."

Ema cracked up at this. "He passed out? Guess he couldn't handle the rock!"

The two of them shared a good a good laugh between. Unbeknownst to them however, they were being observed.

"They seem to be getting' along, eh bambina? Not sure what you were so worried about." Jake said.

"They do, don't they?" Lana thought to herself for a moment before a devilish smile played on her lips. "Hey Jake, we packed some mistletoe in our bags, didn't we?"

* * *

December 24  
8:23 PM  
Wright Residence

"That's right. I AM the Pumpkin King!"

"Oh, this is my favorite part!" Emma cried as she stood from the sofa.

"Mine too!" Maya replied. The two women stepped up to each other and began dancing, while singing perfectly in tune with the character on screen.

"And I just can't until next Halloween! 'Cause I've got some new ideas that will really make them scream!"

This earned a cacophony of laughter from Hugh, Phoenix, and Trucy. But also from a new arrival. Everyone turned in their seat to see Pearl at the bottom of the stairs giggling as she watched the two women's performance.

Phoenix leapt up from his seat and rushed to the girl. "Pearls!" He placed his hands on the young girls shoulders. "Are you feeling alright? You've been completely out for a while now."

Pearl smiled at the man and nodded. "I'm fine, Mr. Nick. I got plenty of sleep and I think my temperate went down."

Phoenix placed a hand to the girl's forehead. "Yeah, it does feel like it's gone down quite a bit. Are you sure you're not tired?"

"I'm sure. I actually came down because I was kind of hungry."

"Hungry? Oh, yeah, I guess you haven't had much to eat today." Phoenix turned around. "Hey, mom, is there anything to eat? I think we could all use a little something after everything."

"Oh! Now that you mention it, cooking has completely slipped my mind. I suppose I could whip something up." As Emma turned around to head to the kitchen, Maya stepped in front of her, cutting off access to the room.

"Not so fast, Emma! You deserve a chance to rest. You just let me handle things tonight." Maya said before turning around and walking into the kitchen.

"B-but, Maya-"

"No buts, Emma! No get back to your seat so you can see Jack take down Oogie Boogie and save Christmas!"

Emma sighed in defeat and headed back to her seat. "I swear, Phoenix, you always pick the strange ones."

Phoenix chuckled as he and Pearl made their way back to the couch and took a seat. "You have no idea, mom. Better than Dahlia though, right?"

"Oh, sweetie, no woman will ever be able to compete with that she-devil!"

* * *

December 24  
8:34 PM  
Ema Skye's apartment

"Oh my GOD! You're kidding right? THAT"S how he got the nickname?" Ema cried as she struggled to hide her laughter.

"I'm not kidding! Honestly, I didn't recognize him at first, but as soon as he mentioned being one of Kristoph's clients, I remembered him. Herr Cowpoke is definitely the one who earned him the title 'the Coolest Defense in the West!'"

Ema could barely breathe as she laughed. "No9 wonder he hated that name so much. I'd change my name and leave the state!"

The shared a laugh as a cold winter wind blew over them, causing them to shiver.

"C'mon, fop, it's getting too cold in here. Let's get back inside."

The two of them stepped back inside and were about to head into the living room when…

"NOW HOLD ON RIGHT THERE, YOU TWO!"

Klavier and Ema nearly jumped out of their skin as Jake shouted at them. They looked at the cowboy to see him brandishing his hunting knife.

"Now I don't know how you city slickers do it, but down in Texas, we always follow tradition."

"Jake, you're not-"

"I told you to hold on, bambina! I ain't done talkin' just yet!" This shut Ema up immediately. "As I was sayin' I ain't about to let you two city slickers just burst on through here and ignore tradition."

"Er, Herr Cowpoke, if I may ask, what tradition are you talking about?" Klavier asked.

"Well shoot, boy. Just gotta look up to know that." Jake said as he used his knife to scrape at his face.

"Look up?" Klavier did as instructed and looked above his head.

"SIS!" Ema suddenly angrily cried from beside him.

Hanging above the two was that most dreaded of all holiday decorations: Mistletoe.

Lana stepped into the room from the living room. "Now what makes you think I had anything to do with this, Ema?" She was smiling.

"I don't care who did this, but I am not-" Ema cut herself off as a hunting knife whizzed by her head and imbedded itself in the nearby wall.

"You sure you wanna finish that sentence, bambina?" Jake asked as he produced another hunting knife from his pocket.

 _Am I seriously being threatened into kissing my superior? UGH! I need better friends._

"Er, Fraulein listen, if-" Klavier started.

"Just shut up and pucker up, fop. A kiss isn't worth being stabbed over." Ema said in defeat as she turned towards the man.

Klavier's eyes widened at this. _I-is she serious!?_

"Well!?" Ema said.

"Er, r-right." Was all Klavier could choke out. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the German began to lean toward his subordinate slowly. _Something tells me I'm going to die after this anyway._

An eternity seemed to pass as the two slowly but surely inched towards each other. There was moment of hesitation at the last moment, but finally, Ema closed the final gap between them.

Klavier expected the girl to pull away immediately, but was shocked when she left her lips upon his for several seconds. Although it felt like an eternity. What the man had expected to be a simple peck to appease the knife wielding cowboy in the room suddenly felt like so much more. If he didn't know any better, Klavier would have thought that Ema was almost _enjoying_ the kiss.

However, before he could read too much into it, a click was heard from across the room. The two of them opened their eyes just in time to see the flash from Lana's digital camera.

"Ok, no!" Ema suddenly cried as she pulled out of the lip-lock. "I went through with it, but there is no way I am letting walk out of here with photographic proof!" She began to charge at her sister who dodged out of the way.

"Well just try and get it, little sis!" Lana taunted the younger woman, waving her camera over her head.

"Oh, you are gonna get it!" Ema cried out before charging her sister once again.

* * *

December 24  
9:35 PM  
Wright Residence

"Y'know, I may be a chicken sandwich kind of guy, but I'd be lying if I said you didn't make the best burgers, Maya." Phoenix said as he threw on a white t-shirt and began to get settled into bed.

"Of course! What else did you expect from me, Nick?" Maya said as she slid underneath the covers.

"You don't want me to answer that." Phoenix said. This earned him a pillow in the face. "Oh, you know I was kidding, Maya."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, old man." Maya then leaned forward and gave the man a kiss. "So, was It REALLY that bad talking to your dad?"

Phoenix chuckled softly. "I guess not. Though I could have done without my daughter hanging off a cliff, followed by me and my dad."

"Ugh! Don't remind me. I nearly had like five heart attacks today. You have no idea how much you worried me, Nick. I was afraid I was gonna lose you."

Phoenix pulled the woman into an embrace. "I know. And I'm sorry."

Maya nuzzled into her boyfriend's chest. "Let's just try to stay away from cliffs from now on."

Phoenix smiled and buried his face into the woman's hair. "Can do." The two stayed that way for a moment before Phoenix spoke up again. "Hey, Maya, do you think you could do me a favor before we go to sleep?"

Maya pulled back. "Nick, I am NOT doing that at your parents' house!"

"W-what?! Oh. PH! Oh God, no, Maya! Not that! I wanted to ask if you could channel Mia! I just wanna thank her for her help today!"

Maya laughed at the man's flustered reaction. "Oh, is that it? You should have said so, Nick! Sure, just gimme a second." With that, the Kurain Master took a meditative stance and closed her eyes. Slowly but surely, he form began to change. Her face changed shape. Her body grew. Her chest filled out more. Finally, Mia opened her eyes.

"Phoenix!" Mia cried out and quickly threw her arms around the man. "Oh my God, I'm so relieved to see you! I was so worried about you and your father."

Phoenix returned the hug. "Hey, calm down, Chief. I'm fine. Besides, wouldn't you know if something had happened to me."

Mia sighed and pulled back. "That's not how it works, Phoenix. But I am glad to see that you're okay."

"Of course I'm okay. You saw to that."

Mia quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? What do YOU mean!? You, Maya, my mother, and Trucy, you pulled me and my dad back onto solid ground."

Mia shook her head. "Phoenix, I lost my connection with Pearly the second I saw you and your father go over the cliff. I had nothing to do with anything that happened after that."

Phoenix's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Wait, what!? Are you telling me that PEARLS was the fourth person who helped pull us up?"

Mia smiled. "Maybe you don't give that girl enough credit, Phoenix."

"I guess not." _Geez, Pearls can help lift two full grown men? I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of her slaps today!_

"By the way, Phoenix. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Huh? Oh, what is it, Chief?"

Mia smiled again. "I heard what you and your father were talking about. So you're planning on popping the question, huh?"

Phoenix's cheeks reddened. "Oh, yeah, you did hear that, didn't you? Y-yeah. I asked Franziska to help me find a ring a while back. At this point, I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Phoenix. Would you mind if I looked at the ring."

Phoenix shook his head as he reached for the drawer on his end table. "Not at all." He dug around for a moment before finally finding the box and presenting it to Mia.

Mia took the ring box from the man's hand and opened it to examine the ring inside. "Phoenix, it's absolutely beautiful. I especially love the choice to use your birth stones."

Phoenix chuckled and scratched the back of his heads. "Yeah. It definitely cost me a pretty penny. I just really hope she says yes."

Mia closed the box and handed it back to Phoenix, who placed it back in his end table. "Trust me, Phoenix. She will."

* * *

December 24  
9:02 PM  
Ema Skye's apartment

"I'm covering my ears!" Ema cried as she placed a throw pillow on either side of her head.

"Oh c'mon, Ema! You should at least listen."

Ema shook her head in defiance. "Sis, it's the fop meets country music. You can't PAY me to listen to this."

Klavier chuckled as he plugged in his amp and turned the volume down on it to avoid waking the neighbors. "You're breaking my heart, Fraulein, truly."

"Don't care!"

Jake finally entered the room, carrying a six string acoustic guitar. He froze when he saw the instrument in Klavier's hand. "Now what in the name of the great state of Texas is that thing?"

"I assume by 'that thing' you are referring to my guitar, ja?" Klavier asked.

"That what ya call that thing? Looks more like a patient hooked up to life support with all them wires." Jake said as he took a seat on the sofa next to Lana and began tuning his guitar.

"To each their own, Herr Cowpoke. To each their own."

"Yeah, yeah. So what're ya in the mood to play, pretty boy? Keep in mind, I don't play any of that modern crap."

"Hmmmm…" Klavier thought the topic over for a moment. Truth be told, the prosecutor wasn't all that familiar with a lot of classic country or rock… _Well, there is THAT._

"I believe I have one in mind, Herr Cowpoke." Klavier bowed his head and moved his fingers across the instrument, plucking several strings.

Everyone in the room froze and Ema pulled the pillows from her ears to gawk at the man.

Klavier looked at the people staring at him. "Er, is something wrong."

"Boy," Jake started. "Them chords have started wars." He said, sending a death glare in the German man's direction. "You sure you wanna start this?"

Klavier, never being one to back down from a musical challenge, plucked the same strings again on his guitar. "Your move, Herr Cowpoke."

"Alright," Jake said, adjusting his guitar. He plucked the same strings on his guitar as Klavier had before looking right back at Klavier.

Klavier repeated the process. The two traded these chords back and forth for a moment before Klavier changed it up, plucking a few different strings. Jake responded in kind, returning the chords right back. This went on for a while, playing the same chords back and forth before changing it up. Lana and Ema sat in astonishment at the two men's ability to keep up with each other almost effortlessly. Finally, it reached _that_ point, where the tone of the song changed from a friendly duel into a beautiful duet of the two instruments blending together to create one song being played simultaneously. Lana and Ema and began to really get into it, stomping their feet and clapping in time with the music.

"Woohoo! Go Jake!"

"Shred those strings, fop!"

Klavier smiled to himself as he continued to play his part. This continued for another minute or so before Klavier finally stopped and let Jake have his moment. Jake's fingers continued to dance across the strings as he went into his solo, finally culminating the two men strumming the final string together.

"Shoot boy! Guess I didn't give ya enough credit. Ain't never met a man who could keep up with me on _Dueling Banjos!_ You're somethin' else, prospector!"

"My compliments as well, Herr Cowpoke. It's been a while since I've been able to jam with someone."

"Whaddya say to another go?"

Klavier chuckled. "Certainly, Herr-"

"Hey, Klavier. Your hand!" Ema suddenly cried.

"Huh?" Klavier looked down at his hand and noticed that during his jam session, his wound had reopened and blood was now beginning to seep through his bandages. "Ach! I must have been jamming too hard! Fraulein, do you happen to have any bandages?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom. C'mon, I'll give you a hand." The two stood from their seats and headed off to bathroom. Once there, Ema pulled a bottle of peroxide and a roll of bandages from her medicine cabinet as Klavier busied himself with removing the soiled bandages. Once thy were off, he turned on the faucet and began running cold water over the wound.

"What even happened to you?" Ema axed as she soaked a rag in peroxide.

Klavier held his hand out to the woman. "It's… Something I'd rather not talk about, Fraulein." He then winced in pain as Ema applied the rag to his wound. "Gah! Oh, I will never get used to the stinging sensation."

"Pipe down. The stinging means that it's working." Ema continued to clean the wound for a minute before pulling the rag away and preparing the bandages. Just as she was about to start wrapping the wound, she stopped and froze in place.

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Just… Well, look." She tilted her head to indicate his wound. Klavier looked down at the palm of his hand, unsure what the woman was trying to convey. However, it became very clear when he took a good look at the shape his wound had taken.

A cross.

* * *

December 24  
9:42 PM  
Wright Residence

"Today sure was a long day, huh?" Emma said as she slid underneath the covers.

"That's an understatement, dear." Hugh replied as he did the same.

Emma turned to look at her husband. "You know, I never did get to ask. Did you and Phoenix talk things over?"

Hugh smiled to himself. "We did. I'm not sure he's ready to forgive me, but you saw what happened on that cliff. I think we've taken a step in the right direction."

"I'm really glad to hear that, sweetie. It's so good to see the two of without being at each other's throats."

Hugh chuckled. "You're telling me. There were a few times I thought Phoenix would punch me right in the face. And really, I wouldn't have blamed him."

"Hugh, don't say things like that. Even if you two have a strained relationship, Phoenix loves you and he wouldn't want to hurt you."

Hugh leaned back and nestled into his pillow. "Yeah. I figured that much out on that cliff."

Emma laid down and snuggled up next to the man. "It was made pretty clear just how much he cares out there, Hugh. But I'm just glad we're all safe."

Hugh smiled and placed a kiss on the woman's forehead. "So am I, sweetie. So am I."

* * *

December 24  
9:47 PM  
Ema Skye's apartment

"See ya later sis! Thanks for stopping by!" Ema cried as her sister descended the stairs.

"It was a pleasure, Ema! I'll be sure to call tomorrow!" With that, Ema closed the door behind her.

"Well that was fun evening, bambina. Shame what happened to your camera, though." Jake said as he and his fiancée made their way to his pickup truck.

"Oh, it wasn't too much of a loss." Lana said as she fished into her pocket for something. She finally pulled it out and showed it to Jake. He looked at the tiny object she held between her fingers.

A camera memory card.

Meanwhile, inside the apartment, Klavier was putting his shoes back on. "Tonight was fun, Fraulein. I really appreciate your inviting me over."

"It was no problem, fop. I actually had a good time tonight."

Klavier smiled as he finished tying his shoes and stood upright. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. But I should probably leave now, myself."

"Yeah, I get it. OH! Hold on, I still need to give you your gift." Ema suddenly cried and turned around, rushing toward her bedroom.

 _Gift? Ach! I nearly forgot!_ Klavier walked over to the couch where he'd left his bag and snatched it up just as Ema returned, holding a small box in her hands. She walked up to Klavier and handed the box to him. "Here, it's not much, really, but I hope you like it."

Klavier smiled and accepted the gift, taking the lid off the tiny box. He froze in place when he saw what was inside.

"I…I was really kinda lost for a while about what to get you, but Red gave me some advice."

"Red?" Klavier asked as he pulled the small watch from the box to further examine it. It was clearly made of cheaper metals, but the German flag on the front was very highly detailed.

"Athena Cykes. Just calling her Red out of habit." Ema explained. "There's more to it. Open it up."

Klavier did as instructed and opened the watch. What was inside nearly made his jaw drop. "This is…"

"Our first case together. I…I thought it might be nice for you to have something to show that you and I really CAN get along. I know the thing's probably not your style, but-"

"Nonsense, Fraulein! I love it!" Klavier immediately took the necklace and put it around his neck. "How does it look?"

Ema giggled slightly. "It looks very foppish. So it suits you."

Klavier laughed as he held the bag in his hand out to Ema. "Well, let's hope my gifts suits you just as well."

Ema's eyes widened. "You got me a gift? Well color me surprised."

"It is customary to bring a gift for your house, ja? Take a look."

Ema opened up the bag and noticed several bags of her favorite chocolatey snack, though they seemed off somehow. She also took note of a rather poorly wrapped gift on top of the snacks. She pulled the lump of wrapping paper out first.

"I know my wrapping skills are not the best, but it's the thought that counts, ja?"

"True enough." Ema said as she began to tear into the paper. She tossed aside, onto her sofa. When she finally finished unwrapping the gift, her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Oh my God! You got me a new lab coat!?"

"I'm sad to admit I had a little help in deciding myself. But your friend, Fraulein Fey, gave me some advice and said you were in need of a new lab coat. I hope it is the right size."

Ema wasted no time in throwing the garment on. It fitted to her form perfectly. "It's the perfect size! Thank you so much, Klavier! My old coat was really starting to get ratty."

Klavier chuckled again. "I'm glad to hear it. Now why don't you try your other gift?"

"You mean the Snackoos?" Ema asked as she reached into the bag and pulled out one of the several bags of snacks.

"Ja. I can't help but want to see if you think I did well on them."

"Did well on them? What do you mean? And why are they so misshapen?" Ema asked as she inspected the bag.

"Well, they are homemade. I just want to see if you think they are in fact edible." Klavier explained.

Ema's eyes grew as wide as saucers at this. "You MADE these?! Geez, you're just full of surprises tonight."

"I am, aren't I? No go on, give them the taste test. You'll be the first to try them."

"Oh, so I'm your guinea pig?"

Klavier let out another hearty chuckle. "If that is how you want to look at it."

Ema popped open the zip-lock baggy and pulled out one of the many snacks. She examined it in her hand. _Well, it may be misshapen, but never judge a book by its cover._ She popped the chocolate snack into her mouth.

And found herself in absolute bliss. _It's just like what I always buy but… Even better! I can taste something else that they don't use. I think it's…_

"Cinnamon." Ema said.

"Hm? What was that, Fraulein?"

"You used cinnamon, didn't you?" Klavier nodded in response. "I can't taste it. It might be overpowering to some people, but I LOVE cinnamon. These are awesome!"

"You really think so?" Klavier asked.

"Oh yeah!" Ema popped another one in her mouth. "Mmmmmm… Thanks a lot, Klavier!"

Klavier smiled. "You're very welcome, Fraulein. Now, I really must be going." He said as he turned around and reached for the doorknob.

"Hey, hold on a sec!" Ema suddenly cried.

"Hm? What is it, Frau-" Klavier didn't get to finish his question, as he was suddenly cut off by Ema's lips being pressed against his. The kiss lasted only a moment before Ema pulled back. Klavier stared at the woman for a moment in astonishment.

"No one hears about that. Got it!?" Klavier could only nod in response. "Good." Ema reached behind the man and opened the door before shoving him out and closing the door.

Klavier stood there in shocked silence for a moment before finally smiling to himself and walking down the stairs. Just as he reached the bottom step, he heard Ema's door creak open behind him.

"Hey, Fop!"

Klavier craned his neck over his shoulder. "Hm?"

"… Merry Christmas."


	18. Home

**A/N: ALMOST THERE! Welp guys, this is it, the final regular chapter. Next chapter will be a short epilogue that I hope to have up tomorrow. It has been a BLAST writing this story, but also an absolute PAIN. But hey, at least I'm only three months late on getting this done, eh? Annywhore, I wanna express my immense gratitude to you all for sticking with me as I struggle through the trials of trying to Wright a Christmas tale.**

 **I also wanna take this chance to semi-announce a special project in the works. I don't wanna go too deep into details, but I will say that it's something that I've not tried before. Keep your eyes out for it on the front page of the site in the next couple of weeks. Assuming, of course, that it doesn't get lost in the crossfire of all the troll fics being posted lately.**

 **Shoutouts to the reviewers from chapter 17:**

 **Skillet28561: I also talked to you about this in a PM, but I'll say it again here for anyone who didn't get it. Klavier's cross scar was meant to be in opposite to Kristoph's Devil scar. I thought about having it be an angel, but I didn't think that would be very believable.**

 **Multifangirl6: Glad to hear the Klema Christmas was well received. And I couldn't justify putting the Wrights or the Feys in any more danger after having crash and nearly tossing half of them off a cliff!**

 **ZardX: I couldn't pass up the chance to show Pearl as a powerhouse able to help lift two full grown men! And I'd like to thank you again, because your review the chapter before gave me the idea to elaborate on Klavier's wound.**

 **JordanPhoenix: I always love writing softer moments between the two of them, because pushing Nick's buttons is what Maya is best at! I'm actually fairly proud of myself for that chapter, if only because I found a way to work in the term Herr Cowpoke!**

 **Ariastella: When the idea of giving Klavier an opposite scar to his brother's popped into my head, I knew I had to work in there somewhere. I'm glad people liked the idea!**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: I think it says quite a bit about how lazy I am when people are kicking off their Spring Break by reading Christmas story XD And as for AA6... IT CAN'T GET HERE SOON ENOUGH!**

 **thepudz: I've always had a soft spot for the detective and the fop, so I really wanted to work a romance between the two of them into my series. Glad you liked it!**

 **Melody Rose Gold: Well, though I can't say the reason Hugh was shot will be brought up in THIS story, I do have plans to elaborate on it later in this series.**

 **Rman8018: Hm that is a rather intereting idea. Perhaps I'll work that into my drabble series, The Court Record. If I do decide to do that, I'll be sure to let you know!**

 **Somebody: Ask and you shall receive! Hope you enjoy this penultimate chapter!**

* * *

December 25  
8:23 AM  
Apollo Justice's apartment

A weight suddenly planted itself on top of Apollo, jolting the man awake. "Oof!" He cried.

"Wake up, lazy butt! It's Christmas!" He heard Athena crying as she bounced on the bed.

"Ugh…" Apollo pulled his pillow over his head. "Can it be Christmas in another hour? It's so early!"

Athena pried the pillow away from her boyfriend. "No way! I already made breakfast!" She then hopped off the bed and began pulling on Apollo's arm, pulling the man, still wrapped in his blanket.

 _It's at moments like these that I have to ask myself… Is this relationship really worth it?_

* * *

December 25  
8:37 AM  
Wright residence

"Why did you even bring these here?" Maya asked.

"Does it really matter? Just stick it by his head and crank the volume!" Trucy responded.

"Shhhh! You'll wake him up." Maya hushed the younger girl as she place the walkie-talkie by her slumbering boyfriend's head. The two girls then tiptoed downstairs and joined Pearl and the Wrights, who were gathered around the Christmas tree.

"Everyone ready?" Trucy asked. The whole group nodded excitedly. Trucy plastered on a big grin. "Alright, on three." Everyone gathered around the teenager. "One… Two… THREE!"

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

"GAAAAAAAH!" A loud cry was heard from upstairs followed by a thud, which everyone assumed was Phoenix hitting the floor.

Phoenix heard a cacophony of laughter from the small walkie-talkie that had a woken him. Finally, Maya's voice broke through the rest. "Morning, Nick! C'mon down! We're about to open presents!"

Phoenix groaned as he lay on the floor. "I wonder if it's too late to return that ring."

* * *

December 25  
8:43 AM  
Apollo Justice's Apartment

Apollo gulped down the last of his coffee. He knew having Athena stay over the night before was going to cost him valuable hours of sleep, but the girl had been insistent on being with him all day on Christmas. Besides, waking up to her smiling face was something he'd have to get used to very soon.

"That was a pretty great breakfast, Athena. Thanks." _Though, some extra sleep would have been nice._

"No problem! Been awhile since I've had an excuse to make Santa hat pancakes."

Apollo stood from the table to fill his empty mug. "I would imagine. You always make it sound like the holidays were never a big deal in Europe."

"Well, I never really had time to worry about things like that. I was too focused on my studies."

Apollo took his seat again and took a sip of his coffee. "Fair enough."

"So, Apollo," Athena started. Apollo quirked an eyebrow at her. "When do I get my present?"

Apollo smiled and rolled his eyes at the woman. "Is that the only reason you wanted to stay over last night? To get your gift as soon as possible?"

"What!? Of course not!" Athena denied.

Suddenly, Widget sprung to life. "Yep! Where's my stuff!?"

"Widget!" Athena cried as she quickly covered the tiny robot around her neck. Meanwhile Apollo was laughing like a hyena.

"Alright, relax. Just lemme get myself woken up first, alright? You already know I got to sleep late last night."

"Yeah, and who's fault is that?" Athena asked in a mocking tone.

"Yours! You made me sit through all of the Santa Clause movies with you! Tim Allen now haunts my nightmares!"

"Oh c'mon, those movies are classics!" Athena rebutted.

Apollo held up a finger. "One. One was a classic. The others were an insult to everything the original did right."

"I don't understand how you can't appreciate such great films!"

"Because they're not great! Honestly, even the premise of the first one is a bit messed up for a Christmas movie. I mean, Tim Allen kills a guy, steals his clothes, and also steals his identity."

"Ugh!" Athena groaned as she made her way over to the coffee pot and filled her mug. "See, this is why I don't watch movies with you, you nitpick everything!"

"Well excuse me for having good taste in movies." Apollo said.

Athena rolled her eyes and brought her mug to her lips. "Good taste my rear end." She muttered.

"What was that?" Apollo asked.

"Oh, did I not speak loud enough? I said your taste in movies is like looking at a list of the worst movies of all time!"

Apollo let out a sigh and brought his hand to his face. _Today is Christmas, right? Why are we arguing about our tastes in movies?!_

* * *

December 25  
9:07 AM  
Wright Residence

"About time, old man! What took you so long? Throw out your hip?" Maya cried as Phoenix trudged down the stairs. "We were about to start opening presents without you!"

"About to? Don't act like you don't have a handful of wrapping paper in your hand right now. And for your information, it took me so long to get down here because I needed a shower."

"And yet still not a spike out of place. Emma, I gotta know, have these two always had the spikes?"

"Oh, well Hugh has had his spikes since the day I met him. You have no idea how shocked I was when I found out they were natural!" Emma explained.

"Me too! I only had the chance to actually touch Nick's hair in the summer, but I couldn't freaking believe it! When did his spikes first start to grow in?"

"Oh, he's had them since day one, dear. When his father first saw him, he said his spikes were on backwards!"

"That's what I said about your husband!" Maya cried. The two women cracked up laughing as Phoenix took a seat on the floor next to Hugh.

"These two are so alike, it scares me." Phoenix said to his father.

Hugh chuckled. "Well take a good look at your mother for a second, son. That may very well be what you can expect several years down the line."

"Was that meant to dissuade me?"

"Not at all. Quite the opposite really."

"Alright, quit the chit-chat, you two. It's time for presents!" Maya cried, interrupting the two men's conversation.

"Calm down, Maya. The gifts aren't going anywhere." Phoenix said to the woman.

"He's right, Maya. But let's go ahead and start handing them out." Emma said as she knelt down and picked a medium sized rectangular box and handed it Trucy. "Trucy, this is from your grandfather and me. I think it's only fitting that you open the first gift after last night."

Trucy excitedly grabbed the box from the older woman. "Grandma, you guys really didn't have to get me anything." The young girl tore into the wrapping paper and pulled the box open. Her eyes immediately lit up when she saw what was inside. "A new hat!" She cried as she pulled the blue top hat out of the box. "How'd you know I needed one? Did you plan for me to fall off a cliff?"

Emma and Hugh both let out a hearty chuckle before Hugh spoke up. "Of course not, Truce. We thought your old hat might be getting a bit small, so we bought a slightly bigger one. Don't leave us in suspense, try it on!"

Trucy plastered a huge grin on her face and obliged, placing the hat on her head. "It fits perfect! You guys were right, my old hat was getting kinda small. Probably why it blew off my head last night." She moved toward her grandparents and pulled the two into a hug. "Thank you so much! I love you guys!"

* * *

December 24  
9:22 AM  
Apollo Justice's Apartment

"You awake yet?" Athena asked the man on the couch next to her.

"You know asking me that every five minutes isn't going to help, right?" Apollo replied as he took a sip of coffee from his mug. The man was already on his third cup.

"Uuuugh! I swear, you have no Christmas spirit!" The young redhead complained as she sunk into the couch. She glanced over at Icarus, who was sitting next to her. "You're owner's a real stick in the mud, y'know that, Icarus?" She scratched behind the golden retriever's ear, causing the dog to wag his tail.

"Hey, don't try and turn my dog against me." Apollo said.

Athena suddenly stood from her seat and began to walk back to Apollo's bedroom. "Well, if you're not gonna start the gift giving, I guess it's up to me." She wandered out of sight for a moment but returned shortly with a small square box. She plopped down next to Apollo and held it out to him. "Now, before you open it, you should know it's not all there just yet. I hate to admit it, but I kinda bought it last minute."

Apollo smiled as he set his mug down on the coffee table and accepted the box from the girl. "Athena, it's fine. You didn't need to get me anything anyway."

"Of course I did! What kind of girlfriend would I be if I neglected to get you a gift for our first Christmas together? Now quit talking and open it already!"

Apollo rolled his eyes and began to undo the tape on the box. He finally managed to pull the top off of it and looked inside to see two pieces of paper. They looked to have both been printed off from a computer. He picked the piece on top up and looked over it. That's when his eyes grew wide.

"A-Athena… You-" Apollo couldn't finish his sentence as his voice caught in his throat.

"I named a star after you." Athena finished for him. Apollo looked at the woman, who appeared to be blushing slightly. "Like I said, I kinda bought it last minute, and that's because I was trying so hard to think of the perfect gift. Something to show you how much you mean to me. When I finally thought of this, it just seemed like the perfect idea. It seems only fitting for Apollo Justice to be out the in space with his best friend."

Apollo remained silent and turned his attention to the other piece of paper in the box. He picked up and realized that it was a star chart. He'd learned as much from Clay, who would show him the things almost daily as he went on and on about his dream of being in space.

"It should be visible tonight, if the weather is clear enough. I thought we could look at it together when it gets dark." Apollo still didn't speak. Athena looked at the man, who was hunched over the box and seemed to be shaking. "Apollo? Are you ok? I-I-" Athena cut herself off as Apollo spun around and pulled the woman into a tight embrace.

"Thank you." Apollo choked out. "Thank you so much, Athena."

Athena didn't even need to listen to her boyfriend's heart to hear all the emotions he was feeling. The shaky, strained, sobbing voice Apollo spoke with said it all.

"Don't cry, please." Athena said as she returned the embrace. She placed a hand on the back of the man's head and held him into her shoulder. "I can tell you love the gift, but I never wanted it to make you cry."

Apollo held the girl closer. "I'm sorry. But this is the greatest gift you could have possibly given me, Athena."

Athena smiled softly. "I dunno about that. Remember, it's not even all here yet. You have a printed certificate and a star chart. The whole package comes with a real certificate, an even better star chart, and a little necklace with the star's coordinates on it."

Apollo chuckled softly as he pulled back and began to wipe his eyes. "Yeah, guess you're right. But, this means the world to me, Athena. It makes my gift for you absolutely pale in comparison."

"I doubt that. Besides, I'll never know that if I never get to see it!"

Apollo chuckled and stood up. "Gimme just a sec. I've made you wait long enough, I guess." With that, Apollo left the room, still trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. _Man, what'd I ever do to deserve a girl like her?_ He made his way to the bedroom and pulled open the drawer on his nightstand, pulling out the small box that contained Athena's gift. Apollo sucked in a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

December 25  
9:33 AM  
Wright Residence

"Wow, thanks girls! I've really been needing a new coffee maker. Abut Maya, you know this expensive coffee is all gonna be used by Athena, right?" Phoenix asked the woman as he set his gift down.

"Hey, I'll beat that girl off that machine with a club if I have to! That stuff cost way more than you could even imagine!" Maya said.

"Mr. Nick, Mystic Maya! Here, open my presents next." Pearl suddenly butted in as she handed two small boxes to the couple.

Phoenix very nearly rolled his eyes. It wasn't hard for him to guess what was in the two boxes. Pearl pulled the same trick every year. Not that he was complaining. Phoenix secretly looked forward to opening the young teen's gift every year before he had gotten together with Maya. It was the perfect excuse to kiss Maya without having to reveal his feelings to her. He and Maya both pulled open their gifts, and sure enough, inside both boxes was a piece of mistletoe.

"You know you don't need to do this anymore, right Pearly? I mean, me and Nick are dating now!" Maya exclaimed.

Pearl beamed at the older woman. "I know Mystic Maya, but it just wouldn't feel like Christmas without the mistletoe!"

"She has a point Maya. At this point, her gift of mistletoe feels like a tradition." Phoenix said as he scooted closer to the woman and held his piece of mistletoe over her head. "And who are we to go against tradition."

"Well," Maya put her piece of mistletoe over Phoenix's head. "Guess I can't argue with you there."

The two smiled at each other before leaning forward and pressing their lips together in a loving kiss. Everyone else in the room smiled at the happy couple.

Maya was the first to pull back. "Alright, so I think that's all the gifts, isn't it?" She began to count up the gifts she'd gotten, which included a beautiful golden bracelet from Hugh and Emma and a DVD of the newest Steel Samurai movie from Trucy. "Hey, wait a second." She suddenly said. Phoenix tensed up slightly, knowing very well what was coming. The raven-haired girl looked at him. "Nick, what gives? I didn't get a gift from you!"

Phoenix quickly glanced at his father, who smiled softly and nodded his head. He swallowed the lump in his throat and began to speak. "W-well, Maya… I-I wanted to be the last one to give you a gift. Because, it's kind of special."

"Well, you're the only one who hasn't given me their gift, so now's the time, Nick!"

Phoenix took a deep breath in and put his hand in his pocket as he reached for the box. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

December 25  
9:34 AM  
Apollo Justice's Apartment

Apollo made his way back into the living to see Athena playing with Icarus, who was now fully awake and happily accepting Athena's love. Apollo smiled to himself softly as he made his way back to his seat. "You know he's probably just playing along to get you to feed him, right?"

"And it'll probably work! I can't say no to this little guy. Can I, Icarus?" Athena asked the dog, who barked excitedly in response.

Apollo smiled and took his seat next to Athena. "He's a master manipulator. Well, before you make my dog get fat, here." He held the tiny box out to Athena. "I should probably admit I had some trouble picking out a gift for you, too. I just really hope you like it." _And that you'll say yes._

Athena grinned and quickly snatched up the box and pulled the top off of it. When she looked inside, her face registered a look of confusion. "I-I'm not sure I understand. I already have a spare key, Apollo."

Apollo swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Yeah, about that; I'm probably gonna need that back."

Athena turned to look at the man. "Why? I don't get it! What's going on?"

It took a moment for Apollo to finally speak. "What's going on is that I have a very important question for you, Athena." Athena looked at the man expectantly as Apollo looked down at the floor. "Athena… We've been together for a little over six months now. And I can say with absolute certainty that they have been some of the best months of my life. I know we see each other just about every day…" He turned his gaze back to the woman next to him. "But I want to see you every day. Which is why," He took hold of the girl's hands in his own. "I want you to move in with me, Athena."

Athena was speechless at what the man had just said. _I can't have heard him right._ She thought to herself. "Y-you're joking, right?"

Apollo shook his head. "No. I mean it Athena. You're practically here all the time anyway. And when you're here, this place really feels like a home. Sure, I have Icarus here to keep me company, but it's when you're here that I feel most at home here. And I want to be able to feel that every single day when I wake up. So, whaddya say?"

Athena listened to the man's heartfelt words and looked down at the small key in the box. He'd made a very fitting choice in going with a tiger-striped key to match his nickname for her. She couldn't believe that he was actually asking her this. Sure, it was no marriage proposal, but he was asking to take a huge step forward in their relationship.

"Athena? Are you-" Apollo was suddenly cut off as Athena through her arms around him.

"YES! Yes, yes, yes! Of course I'll move in with you!" She shouted as tears began to spring from her eyes. "Apollo, you have no idea how much this means to me. I've wanted a home for so long."

Apollo returned the hug. "But, you have your own apartment, right?"

Athena nodded. "I do. But it's not a home." She pulled back and wiped her eyes. "It's a tiny hole in the wall, and my landlord won't even let me have a pet. I-I haven't really had a place that felt like home for years." She quickly grabbed her boyfriend's hands. "But now I do! Thank you so much, Apollo!" She placed a quick kiss on his lips before wrapping him in another hug. "I love you so much."

The horned attorney smiled softly as he returned the embrace, running a hand slowly through her hair. "I love you too, Tiger."

* * *

December 25  
9:39 AM  
Wright Residence

Phoenix held his breath as he pulled the small ring box out of his pocket. He caught the unmistakable widening of Maya's eyes as she caught sight of it. _No turning back now._

"Maya… I don't even know where to start. The day I met you, I think we can both agree was one of the most bittersweet days of our lives." Phoenix began. "It was definitely hard on the both of us to walk into the office that night and find Mia. But that was also the day we found each other."

Trucy placed her hands over her mouth as she listened to her father speak, knowing full well what was going on. Meanwhile Pearl had her hands to her cheeks, her eyes sparkling like diamonds as she realized what Phoenix was doing.

"From that day on, my life changed entirely for the better. Even though we were only friends back then, I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend my days with. Then came Edgeworth's trial. It pained me so much to see you beating yourself up, thinking you were useless. And that was when I began to realize how much you really meant to me. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you take a Taser for me."

Emma mimicked her granddaughter as it dawned on her exactly what her son was doing, while her husband focused intently on what Phoenix was saying.

"And that wasn't last time I'd see you suffer because of me. I nearly broke when you were kidnapped by de Killer. I was willing to cast aside my belief in the law just to make sure you were safe. And when Dahlia tried to say that you were dead… If it had been true, I don't think I could have gone on."

Maya couldn't breathe as she listened to the beautiful words of her boyfriend. _T-this is happening, isn't it?_

"And I owe a lot to you, Maya. Without you, I'd probably be flipping burgers at a fast food joint instead of defending the innocent. Without you, a lot my clients would have ended up behind bars for crimes they didn't commit. And without you I never would have gotten my beautiful daughter." Phoenix adjusted himself so that he was now looking at Maya while kneeling on one knee, holding the box out in front of him. "This has been a long time coming, Maya. I've had plenty of time to think about this, and everything is telling me that I'm making the right choice." He pulled open the box. "Maya Fey… Will you marry me?"

Silence hung in the air as Phoenix's question was finally asked. Maya felt as though her lungs had ceased functioning as she processed what she'd just heard. _Will you marry me?_ The words repeated themselves in her mind.

An eternity seemed to pass for Phoenix as he awaited the woman's response. He loved this woman with all his heart, with every fiber of his being. A life without Maya Fey… Was a life not worth living. Phoenix stared intensely into Maya's beautiful brown eyes. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, tears began to stream from her eyes and Phoenix felt himself being tackled by the girl.

"YES! YES, OH MY GOD, YES! YES YES YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!" Maya cried at the top of her lungs. "Of course I'll marry you, Nick! Nothing in this world could possibly make me happier!" She held onto Phoenix in an almost death grip.

Phoenix, although filled with immeasurable joy that the love of his life had just agreed to marry him, was completely unable to express that joy as she continued to practically choke the life out of him. "Maya… Crushing… Me."

Maya immediately loosened her grip and pulled back, allowing Phoenix to sit upright again. "Oh, sorry Nick." She sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm just… I'm so happy. I used to think that this day would never come. That you and me would never happen. But now…"

"Now you have the ring right here to prove that this is happening." Phoenix said as he took the ring from the box and took hold of Maya's hand. "May I?" Maya couldn't speak, but simply nodded in affirmation. Phoenix smiled a slowly placed the ring on the woman's finger. It was a perfect fit.

Maya clapped a hand over her mouth as she examined the ring now on her finger. The tears began to flow even more as the reality began to sink in.

She was engaged to Phoenix Wright.

Maya moved to pull Phoenix into embrace, but was beat to the punch as Hugh suddenly enveloped the both of them in a hug.

"Congratulations you two!" Hugh cried. Everyone else quickly joined in on the group hug, congratulating the newly engaged couple.

"Now we're really gonna be sisters, Trucy!"

"I know, I'm so happy, Pearls! Congratulations, mommy and daddy!"

In the midst of the hug, Phoenix smiled at Maya. "Looks like you're joining quite the family, huh?"

Maya giggled. "I sure am. And I love them already, Nick!"

* * *

December 25  
1:32 PM  
Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice's Apartment

Athena brought her mug to her lips and slurped up the last of her hot chocolate.

"Ah! Apollo, this is so good! You HAVE to tell me the recipe." She demanded.

Apollo simply chuckled and sipped some of his own. "Sorry Athena, no can do. Made a promise to Trucy to get this recipe. You know me. Can't break a promise."

"Ugh, c'mon! You can't keep secrets from me!" Athena rebutted.

"Oh, and why is that?" Apollo questioned, quirking an eyebrow at his energetic girlfriend.

"Uh, well..." Athena racked her brain for a moment, trying to think of a reason to give the man. "W-well, we're gonna be living together now, so..."

Apollo smirked and shook his head. "Sorry Athena. Not good enough. But nice try though." He smugly took a sip from his mug and turned his attention back to the TV, where the Grinch's heart had just grown three sizes.

"Jerk!" Chirped Widget. Athena made no attempt to silence the little AI.

"Well, is there at least a little more left?" Athena asked.

"Yeah, I made sure to make plenty. It's on the stove and I have it set to a low heat to keep it warm."

Athena hopped up from the couch. "Well, I'm gonna go get some more." She looked at Apollo. "You want some?"

"Sure." Apollo said. He finished his mug and held it out to the girl.

Athena turned on her heel and headed into the kitchen. "Well you better come get it before I finish it off!"

Apollo sighed and leaned back in his seat. _Just remember Apollo, you asked for this._ He sat there for a moment, simply watching the TV, where the Grinch was now returning all the gifts back to the Whos.

"Hey Apollo! Where's the whipped cream?" Athena asked from the kitchen.

"In the fridge. On the door." Apollo replied, keeping his gaze turned toward the TV. Though he wasn't exactly paying much attention to the show, he was still preoccupied, allowing Athena to sneak up behind him.

"Gah!" Apollo cried out as he felt something wet land on his head. The sensation was accompanied by a hissing sound. He put a hand on his head and pulled it back to look at it, finding his hand covered in whipped cream. He whipped around in his seat to see Athena snickering at him.

"That's a good look for you, Apollo!" The redhead cried as she laughed at the man.

Apollo gritted his teeth and lunged at the girl, hopping over the back of the couch and snatching the can away from her. "Oh yeah?" He used the can to pour whipped cream on Athena's hair. "There, now we match!"

"Oh, you are DEAD, Justice!" Athena cried before lunging at her boyfriend and attempting to wrestle the can away from him. Apollo refused to let go however and the two lawyers struggled to regain control of the can of whipped cream. In their struggle, the nozzle of the can sprayed whipped cream into the air, where it landed on the floor, the couch, and even each other's faces. The two of them eventually fell to the floor as they continued to fight over the can. They rolled back and forth on the floor, continuing to spray whipped cream everywhere. Eventually however, the loud hissing from the can began to grow weaker and weaker until nothing was left. Athena finally managed to take the can back and aimed it right Apollo's face, who was pinned underneath her. "Take this!" She shouted and pressed on the nozzle. However, nothing came out. "Huh?" Athena shook the can and pressed on the nozzle again. "Oh great job, Apollo! You used it all up!"

"Me!?" Apollo cried as he struggled to get out from underneath his girlfriend. "You're the one who started this! Now look, the apartment is covered in whipped cream and so are we!"

Athena looked around and indeed, where they'd been wrestling there was now whipped cream everywhere. Icarus had already taken to licking some of it up. "Hey, it's not so bad. At least Icarus is trying to help clean up."

"Yeah, that's great. Now could you get off me?" Apollo asked as he continued to struggle beneath the girl.

"Hmmmm," Athena mused. "Lemme think about it… No."

"Oh, come on, Athena!"

"Can you seriously not get up with me sitting on you?"

"So I need to go to the gym more, cut me some slack!" Apollo cried. "Please get off of me."

"Nah, I don't think so."

"Why!?"

"Because," Athena said as she slowly leaned down so she looking directly into Apollo's eyes. "This leaves me in the perfect position to do… this!" She suddenly pressed her lips against the man's causing his eyes to widen in surprise, then slowly close as he began to return the kiss. It started slow, their lips moving in perfect sync with each other. Apollo managed to free his arms and moved one around Athena's waist while the other began running through her long flowing hair. Apollo was the one to deepen the kiss, gently running his tongue across Athena's lips, begging for entrance, to which she happily obliged. The taste of Athena's orange lip balm blended perfectly with the whipped cream, creating a taste not unlike an orange creamsicle. Suddenly Athena pulled back and looked down at her boyfriend. "Say Apollo, whaddya say we go clean this whipped cream off ourselves and continue this… Elsewhere." She said seductively.

Apollo knew very well what the girl was implying and smirked. "You read my mind, Tiger."

* * *

December 25  
2:13 PM  
Wright Residence

"What on EARTH is that sound?" Emma asked as she entered the kitchen. She looked at the counter in the center of the room to Phoenix, performing what she could only describe as _torturing_ a lump of dough.

Phoenix looked up from his handiwork to look at his mother. "Oh, sorry mom. I guess I get a little intense when I make bread."

"A little intense?" Maya asked as she stirred a pot of gravy. "Nick, I swear I've seen you SUPLEX dough before. The only way watching you make bread would be any more entertaining is if I hired a wrestling announcer to narrate it!"

"Ok, ok, I get it. I tend to channel my inner pro wrestler. Ya happy now?" Phoenix said as he went back to mercilessly beating the dough.

Emma simply laughed as she opened the oven to check the ham. "I'm just curious about when you learned how to bake bread. I don't remember you ever having any interest in it before."

"Oh, Maya didn't tell you? Well, while we were in Labyrinthia, we were both hypnotized into believing we worked at a bakery."

"A BAKERY!?" Emma cried. "That seems like the least fitting place for you I can imagine."

"I dunno," Maya chimed in. "I still can't get over the fact that he spent seven years working at a bar as a pianist."

"Ugh," Phoenix groaned as he dug his elbow into the dough. "Don't remind me. Working there, I think I ate more borscht than any living person ever should."

"What even is borscht?" Maya asked. "With such a weird name, I never bothered to order it, because I thought it would be super gross."

"If the recipe at the Borscht Bowl Club is anything to go by, it's a tomato paste that's been partially thawed and is trying to pass itself off as soup."

"Oh yuck! And you ATE that?" Maya asked.

"Hey what was I supposed to do? I got a discount on the food and I was usually broke… Now that I think about it, it's kind of like having you back" Phoenix said with a smirk as he finally began to form the dough into a ball.

"Hey, watch it buster. I can still give this ring back." Maya said, pointing at her finger.

Phoenix washed the flour off of his hands and took off his apron before walking over and taking the woman's face in his hands. "Please don't. I still have welts from Franziska's whip from when I bought that."

Maya beamed and wrapped her arms around the man. "Nick, I swear I'll never take this ring off."

* * *

December 25  
2:19 PM  
Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice's Apartment

"Athena, are you sure this is what you want?" Apollo asked the stunningly beautiful woman who lay on the bed beneath him.

Athena smiled softly and placed a hand on the man's cheek. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"N-no, I just… I wanna make sure that you're not." Apollo stammered out.

Athena giggled. "Apollo, if I was having second thoughts, I would have told you before we got to this point." She used her hand to gesture toward her body, which was currently only covered by a bra and a pair of panties. Apollo was in much the same state of undress, having been stripped down to his boxers. "Besides, I can tell you right now that there is no place I'd rather be than right here with you, Apollo. I love you more than you could ever know, and I want this. I want to do this with you. The man who holds my heart."

"Heh, sounds like you're pretty certain." Apollo cupped Athena's cheek in his hand. "And I want you to know that I feel exactly the same. I already told you how much these past few months have meant to me. You mean the world to me, Athena. And if this is what you want… What we BOTH want, then I'm just glad I get to take this step with the most amazing girl to have ever entered my life."

Athena smiled at his heartfelt words. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Apollo smirked. "Alright. Here comes Justice." He leaned down and placed a kiss upon her lips.

* * *

December 25  
7:06 PM  
Wright Residence

"I'm telling you, mom, I'm really no good at it." Phoenix protested from his seat in front of the piano.

"Nonsense, Phoenix! You worked as a pianist for seven years. Surely you picked up some skills." Emma said.

"Yeah, I picked up just enough to become background noise for a bunch of drunks until I was needed to play cards. You'd be surprised how many sour notes you can hit and still get applause when most of your audience is plastered."

"Oh, c'mon, Nick!" Maya chimed in as she took a sip of grape juice from her glass. "I haven't heard you play in a while. Surely you've improved. And really, how hard can it be to play a few Christmas songs?"

"Maya, my repertoire consisted mostly of random show tunes at the Borscht Bowl. Not very often I got requests for Christmas songs. Besides, why am I being forced to play? Mom, you used to play beautifully when I was younger, why don't you do it?"

"Because my arthritis has been acting up today sweetie. Besides, I really want to see how well you play."

Hugh joined the group from the kitchen, carrying his own glass of grape juice. "I gotta side with your mother here, Phoenix. I'm curious about how well you do at tickling the ivories."

Phoenix threw his head back and groaned. "Fine, but I hope you guys aren't expecting a five star performance. Oh, and like I always told the guys at the bar, tips are appreciated."

Phoenix sat for a minute, his fingers hovering over the keys as he racked his brain a song to play. It probably didn't matter to the group what he played, so long as it was Christmasy. He only really knew a handful of them. Finally, he decided on one and began to play.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Really, Nick?" Maya asked as she heard the first few notes being played.

"Hey, you asked for Christmas music from an out of practice, amateur pianist. Take what you get." Phoenix retorted as he hit a sour note. "Now, if you ladies would be so kind, I could use some vocals."

"You don't have to tell me twice, Phoenix! C'mon, Maya, let's do it." Emma cried out.

Maya smiled at the woman as Phoenix started the song over and did the first few lines himself.

 _You know Dasher, and Dancer, and_  
 _Prancer, and Vixen,_  
 _Comet, and Cupid, and_  
 _Donner and Blitzen_  
 _But do you recall_  
 _The most famous reindeer of all_

Phoenix changed the rhythm of the music just as Pearl and Trucy came down the stairs. Maya and Emma then began to sing.

 _Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer_  
 _had a very shiny nose_  
 _and if you ever saw it_  
 _you would even say it glows._

 _All of the other reindeer_  
 _used to laugh and call him names_  
 _They never let poor Rudolph_  
 _join in any reindeer games._

Pearl and Trucy smiled at each and joined the group, adding their voices into the mix, creating a beautiful harmony of voices.

 _Then one foggy Christmas eve_  
 _Santa came to say:_  
 _"Rudolph with your nose so bright,_  
 _won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"_

Hugh decided to add his own voice to the mix then, prompting Phoenix to do the same.

 _Then all the reindeer loved him_  
 _as they shouted out with glee,_  
 _Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,_  
 _you'll go down in history!_

The family all laughed together, the Christmas cheer in the air filling them all with joy. Phoenix decided to keep going, playing the chorus of the song a second time as everyone sang along.

* * *

December 25  
7:43 PM  
Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice's Apartment

Athena's eyes slowly fluttered open as she pulled herself from possibly the most restful sleep she'd had in years. Her first sight was the visage of her still slumbering boyfriend, who's now disheveled hair hung nearly over his eyes as he slept peacefully. Athena smiled to herself as she recalled what they had done to exhaust themselves so much to sleep the day away. She swung her legs off the bed and quickly searched the room for her clothes, finding them in a small pile along with Apollo's at the end of the bed. She quickly tossed on her pajama bottoms and tank top and made her way over to Apollo, poking his cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Apollo groaned and pulled the covers over himself. "Five more minutes."

The redhead giggled. "Isn't that usually my line? C'mon! It's dark out, so I want you to see your present."

Apollo let out another groan. "Alright, alright. Just lemme get some clothes on." The man slowly but surely pulled himself out of bed and walked over to his dresser, giving Athena a full view of his body, which she was very pleased with. "Y'know, I never realized how accurate the nickname Tiger actually was."

Athena laughed at his remark. "Yeah, hopefully those marks on your back don't turn out to be permanent."

Apollo pulled on a pair of sweatpants. "Yeah, no kidding. You got some real claws on you." He said as he threw on a red t-shirt.

Athena walked up behind the man and draped her arms around his shoulders before placing a soft kiss on his neck. "Don't act like you didn't like it."

Apollo chuckled softly and spun around in the girl's arms. "I never said I didn't. Though let's try to keep it down from now on. I swear I heard bird seed hitting the wall from the next door apartment."

"Hey, that's on you, Mr. Steel Chords. Now, are we gonna go check out you present or not."

The brown haired man smiled and kissed the girl's forehead. "Yeah, let's go out on the balcony." Apollo led the way, taking a moment to grab the star chart that he'd left on his coffee table before the two stepped out onto his balcony. They leaned against the railing as they looked up at the sky. Millions of tiny dots stared down at them. The night sky was completely clear and the moon shone brightly in the sky.

"Now, if I remember right, it should be-"

"There." Apollo interjected before Athena could finish speaking. Athena glanced over to see him holding the star chart in one hand and pointing toward the sky with the other. She looked to see that he was exactly right, pointing directly at the star now named after himself.

"Geez, you found it in no time." Athena said.

"Hey, what can I say? Clay taught me how to read these things pretty efficiently." A sad smile spread across his lips as he thought of his best friend. "This was a really thoughtful present, Athena. And I'm sure he'd think so too."

Athena scooted closer to the man as the two continued to look at the star, which shined brilliantly in the night sky. "I'm sure he would. We should ask Pearly or Maya to channel him sometime and show it to him."

Apollo chuckled as he draped an arm around Athena's shoulders. "It still blows my mind that we have friends that can literally call on the dead."

"It does take some getting used to, doesn't it? But at least it means the ones we love are never that far away." Athena said as she nuzzled into her boyfriend.

"Right you are." The two went silent for a few minutes, simply staring into the sky, admiring the beauty of the clear night. Eventually, Athena spoke up.

"Hey, Apollo."

"Hm?" Apollo questioned as he turned his head toward the girl. He was greeted with a soft kiss to his lips.

"Merry Christmas."

Apollo smiled and gave the woman another kiss. "Merry Christmas, Tiger."


	19. Epilogue

**A/N: AND IT'S DONE! After so many long months of work, it is done! I'm free! I'm freeeeeeeeeee!  
... *Ahem* Sorry about that, just got a bit caught up in the moment. But yes, this is it. The final chapter of my Christmas story. Somehow, the sun seems brighter today. Sounds, clearer. Grass, greener. But seriously, after this ordeal, I may as well get started on my NEXT Christmas story, Maybe then I'll have it done by Christmas! **

**Anywhore, as I said, this is just a short epilogue. And, on account of it's shortness, some characters are missing, but I HIGHLY doubt they are forgotten. I just wanted to show everyone getting in gear for the wedding! I feel as though the ending to this wasn't great, but I;ve found in my time as a Wrighter that ending stories is hard. I'd like to at least hope that it's a better ending than what I gave to Vacation.**

 **Quick shoutouts to the reviewers from chapter 18:**

 **Multifangirl6: Of course I brought those two back. I can't get enough of writing them! I'm so glad you enjoyed this fanfiction, and I hope you enjoy what I have in store for the future!**

 **elektroboot98: What can I say? I can't help but have a little soft spot for the lawyer/medium duo. And I'd also like to say that it wasn't my intention to imply that Athena didn't get Blackquill a gift. I just wanted to keep my focus on her dilemma with getting a gift for Apollo. And yes, I'm fairly certain ol' Blackquill would run Apollo through with his blade if he knew about their bedrooms escapades!**

 **thepudz: I had alot of fun writing the proposal. The two of them have been through so much, and I wanted Nick to reminisce about it a bit. And I really loved writing the Justicykes scene. Athena seems like such a tiger, I doubt that'll be the last time whipped cream gets involved! XD**

 **Skillet28561: I see Frank Sahwut more as a pedo than a zombie. Maybe it's just the way he moves his hands. And how did you know!? Yes, my next story shall be the long awaited Turnabout Skillet! Featuring the return of the Phantom!**

 **MegaLegoLuigiEX: Well, my congratulations to the hopefully future Mrs. LegoLuigi! XD Funny thing is, that's what I was listening to when I wrote the proposal scene. I just work so much better with music!**

 **JordanPhoenix: Hey, you're the one who gave me the idea to use that euphemism during one our many e-mail chats XD And I'm with Apollo too! I may love Tim Allen to death, but those movies are just terrible! I honestly can't decide anymore which I prefer writing more, Phaya or Justicykes. They're both just such perfect couples that I can't see them apart anymore. Gonna mess with me when I get my hands on AA6 and they're NOT together!**

 **I'm glad you thought this was such a beautiful chapter! And it ha sbeen an honor to have such an interesting reader who takes the time to translate my stories! Good luck with your classes, dear reader!**

 **And now, without further ado, the long-awaited final chapter of Christmas with the Wrights!**

* * *

January 3  
11:13 AM  
Wright Anything Agency

Athena and Apollo made their way into the office. Today was the first business day of the year for the Wright Anything Agency. The two of them had spent the last few days trying to get all of Athena's belongings moved into Apollo's apartment and had only just moved the last few boxes an hour before.

Phoenix looked up from the newspaper he was reading to see the couple entering. "Oh, glad you guys made it. What took ya so long?"

Athena shrugged off her coat and put it on the coat rack by the door. "Hey boss. Sorry we're a bit late. We were getting the last of my stuff moved to Apollo's. I'm officially moved in!"

"Oh, is that so?" Phoenix asked as he took a sip of his coffee. "Well, no harm done I guess. And congratulations! When's the housewarming party?"

Apollo made his way over to his desk and took a seat. "Why are you congratulating us? I think we need to be congratulating you and Maya on your engagement!"

Phoenix chuckled at this comment. "Thanks, Apollo. Oh, that reminds me, Athena, I have a job for you." He said as he made his way over to the girl's desk with a stack of what appeared to be magazines.

"A job? We already have a client? We've barely been open an hour!" Athena cried out.

"Uh, well, kind of, but not really." Phoenix dropped the magazines on the girl's desk.

Athena picked one up and looked at it. "Bridal magazines? Oh! I get it. You need me to help Maya with some of the planning, don't you?"

"It would be greatly appreciated." Phoenix said, running a hand through his spikes. "Grab yourself a cup of coffee from the new coffee machine and head to her room when you get a chance. I think she's been up all night with Trucy looking at dresses."

"Will do, boss!" Athena said. She set the magazine down as Phoenix made his way back to his desk. "Hey boss, you mind if I take a look at that newspaper?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, knock yourself out." Phoenix said as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. "Now that you guys are here, I gotta go for a bit. I'm meeting with Edgeworth for lunch." He made his way to the door of the office. "Apollo, be sure to call me if we get any clients."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Wright." Apollo replied as he clacked away at his keyboard.

Phoenix exited the office as Athena made her way to the kitchen to brew herself a cup of coffee. She chose a caramel cappuccino from among the selection of flavors. As she waited on her coffee to brew, she read over the newspaper. Her eyes widened as she looked at the entertainment section and she made her way to Apollo's desk, slamming the paper down. "Read it and weep, Justice!"

Apollo looked down at the paper and read the headline over the picture. "Rockstar Prosecutor spotted with mystery woman?" Apollo looked up at his girlfriend with a face of annoyance. "Athena, you have no proof that the woman in this picture is Ema." He said as he pointed at the picture, which depicted Klavier with a girl in a white hoodie, who had the hood covering her face.

Athena let out a groan. "Please, I don't need evidence when it's so obvious, Apollo."

"Objection! Evidence is everything, Ms. Cykes."

"Hold it! We are not in court, Mr. Justice." She leaned back over Apollo desk and placed her hand on top of it, much in the same manner she always did in court. "I can guarantee you that the girl in this picture is Ema Skye."

Apollo shook his head and turned his attention back to his computer. "Whatever you say, Tiger."

Athena groaned and made her way back to the kitchen, snatching up her coffee and heading back to her desk to collect the bridal magazines. _How can he be so clueless?_

* * *

January 3  
11:23 AM  
High Prosecutor's Office

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" Ema cried as she balled up the newspaper in her hand. "We go on one date and already the paparazzi have a picture of me. I told you we shouldn't have gone somewhere so high profile!"

Klavier chuckled at his desk as he took a sip of his coffee. "Really, Fraulein, it's not that bad. You had your hood up, so I don't think you'll be recognized. Now, if you had been wearing your pink glasses as you insisted, perhaps that would be enough evidence to ascertain your identity, but as it stands, I believe you are fine."

Ema tossed the balled up newspaper at him, which he narrowly dodged. "I guess you're right. But still, next time, let's just go to a movie or a small burger joint. Somewhere no one would expect to see you." She walked up to the desk and placed her palms on it. "I'd like for this to stay private at least for a little while. God knows the paparazzi will be up my ass as soon as they found out who I am."

"Worry not, Fraulein. I will see to it that you have your privacy so long as we are together. So long as no one gets a clear picture of us kissing, I believe we are fine, ja?"

"Let's hope so." Just then, Ema's cell phone rang. "Hold that thought, Fop." She pulled out her phone to see that it was a call from Lana. She answered immediately. "Hey sis."

"Good morning, Ema. I see you made the paper today." Lana's voice came through on the other end.

Ema let out a groan and looked at Klavier. "She knows!" She quickly put the phone back to her ear. "Guess there's no fooling you, huh?"

"Not at all. I bet you're glad it wasn't the picture I took Christmas Eve, aren't you?"

"Obviously. Glad I made certain to destroy your camera and wipe that picture from existence." Ema said as she plopped down on the sofa in the room.

"Ohhhh, about that, Em… You'll never guess what I managed to pull from the wreckage of that camera that night." Lana said in a devilish tone.

Ema's eyes grew wide. "You didn't."

"Oh, I did, little sister. And now, here I am, holding a picture of the rockstar prosecutor's mystery woman. Sure would be a shame if it found its way into the hands of the paparazzi."

Ema groaned in defeat. "What do you want?"

"Ah, smart girl. Well, I'm feeling rather hungry, and my regular deli just doesn't sound good today. It sure would be nice if my favorite sister in the world were to treat me to a nice lunch."

"One lunch and you destroy the evidence?" Ema asked.

"Hmmm, we'll see. See you in a bit!" With that, Lana hung up, leaving Ema in silence, contemplating whether to play along with her sister's little game or see if she could get away with murder. "Hey Fop." She said, turning her head towards the man. Klavier looked at her and arched an eyebrow. "Change of plans for lunch. You're on your own while I try to keep Lana from blowing our cover."

"Am I to assume that your schwester somehow still has proof of the occurrences at your apartment on Christmas Eve?" Klavier asked.

Ema walked up to the man. "Yeah, guess she salvaged the camera's memory card after I obliterated it."

"Well, that is too bad. But I understand Fraulein. Go do what you must, we can reschedule." Klavier said, smiling.

"I promise I'll make it up to you." She leaned forward and captured the man's lips in a brief kiss before making her way to the door of the office. "You need anything for the case, you know how to reach me."

* * *

January 3  
12:02 PM  
Mi Casa's

Phoenix entered the restaurant and quickly looked around for his who, who he found quickly, looking over a menu as he sipped on a glass of lemonade. He made his way over to the booth and took a seat. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, Edgeworth."

Miles gave Phoenix a very quick glance before returning his gaze to the menu. "I've not been here long, Wright. However I must again ponder as to why you wished to meet at a place such as this."

Phoenix took up a menu of his own and began to skim it. "What? You usually love foreign food. You go to all those fancy French places constantly."

"Be that as it may, Mexican cuisine has never quite suited me. I've much love for the Mexican people, but their messy diet leaves much to be desired."

Phoenix shrugged. "So I felt like Mexican today, sue me." This earned another glance from Edgeworth behind his menu. Phoenix quickly held up his hands. "Hey, I was kidding, please don't actually sue me."

"Hmph," Edgeworth grunted. "I suppose one meal at this establishment won't hurt. Now, getting to the heart of the matter," Edgeworth said as he laid down his menu. "I am most curious as to why you requested to meet with me."

"What, lunch with my best friend isn't a good enough excuse?" Edgeworth let out an annoyed growl. "Okay, okay, take it easy. Jeez, you and Franziska really need to learn to take a joke."

"The sense of humor of myself and my wife is none of your concern, Wright. Now, let's hear it."

The blue-suited attorney sighed and laid down his menu. "Alright, I already told you that Maya and I are engaged, right?"

"Indeed. And my congratulations as well on that matter."

"Haha, thanks. But anyway, we're already getting started on the wedding planning, and I wanted to ask you a favor concerning that.

Miles arched an eyebrow at his friend.

"Edgeworth… Will you be my best man?"

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Edgeworth smirked. "Of course, Wright. I would be honored to be a part of the ceremony."

"That's great to hear." Phoenix said, smiling at his friend. "God knows I didn't wanna go with my second choice."

"Oh, and who would this second choice be?"

Phoenix chuckled to himself as a server mad his way to the table. "You know what they say, Edgeworth. When something smells…"

"It's usually the Butz. I'm rather surprised that he of all people would be your second choice."

Just as Phoenix was about to respond, a new voice interrupted. "Yeah, what gives, Nick!? How come Edgey's your first choice!?"

Both men's eyes widened as they turned their heads to see where the new voice had come from. It turned they didn't need to look far, as Larry Butz stood at their table, dressed in a server's uniform.

"What's the big idea, Nick!? I thought we were best buds, but you ask Edgey to be your best man. Man this is-"

Phoenix and Edgeworth both tuned the man out as they groaned and put a hand to their heads.

 _The road to the altar is gonna be rough._ Phoenix thought. _I can already tell._

* * *

January 3  
12:14 PM  
Wright Anything Agency

"Too frilly. Not frilly enough. Train too long. Don't really care for veils."

Athena groaned as she tossed another magazine onto the ground. "C'mon, Maya. We've been at this for nearly an hour and you've not even considered one dress we've looked at."

"Well, sorry Athena, but none of these dresses really catch my eye. I just really wanna find the perfect one. This wedding has to be perfect!"

"While I agree, I'd really rather not see you turn into Bridezilla." Athena said as she finished off her second cup of coffee.

"Hey, I resent that!" Maya cried. "Well, if we're not gonna have any luck looking at dresses, let's move onto something else. Like flowers! I was thinking Kurain lilies as opposed to any kind of rose."

Athena smiled to herself softly as she brought a hand to the ribbon in her hair. "I think that's a cute idea. But wouldn't that evoke the curse? And aren't they super rare?"

"Bah! Curse, schmurse. I'm the Master of the Kurain channeling technique. I'm sure that gives me some sort of loophole. And we'll just have to make them NOT super rare!"

Athena sighed as she stood and made her way back to the coffee pot in the kitchen. "It's gonna be a long trip down the aisle."


End file.
